To An End
by Kunoichi Golfer
Summary: (College AU) While Ruby begins to crack under the pressure of her school life coming to a close, her college is joined by four new students. Naturally, Ruby and her friends engage in life changing antics and sometimes dangerous frivolities with the four strange and mysterious newcomers, including a rather curious girl with a parasol.
1. Chapter 1

**To An End**

 **Day 1**

Ruby quietly sipped her glass of water, staring at the green carpet through rippling liquid.

Unbeknownst to the headmaster sitting across the large mahogany table, Ruby was on the verge of tears, almost cracking under the pressure of his gaze. If she met his eyes, as is expected of one in civil discussions, she would certainly break down. A teacher's presence often heavily blanketed her in dejection, fear, sometimes even depression.

No, perhaps it was not the 'presence' of the teachers. After consideration, Ruby came to the conclusion that it was their constant expectations of her.

Are you gaining work experience? Have you applied for any part-time jobs? How about apprenticeships? Or further education? Are you using your free time efficiently?

In reality, all of these questions were one and the same:

 _'_ _What are you doing after you leave college?'_

Something about this question made Ruby weak in the knees. The thought of life after education forced despair to fizzle in her heart, to break out in a cold sweat and close her eyes in an effort to forget the question.

It was not the teacher's fault that she felt this way. They were only doing their job. Bring out the best in students and prepare them for adulthood. This did not stop Ruby from resenting them for their constant pressure, something she should probably feel guilty about. However, to Ruby, teachers were just harbingers of the end, agents who made it their mission to bring about the conclusion of her school life. The only life she had ever known.

Ruby breathed out. She hated teachers. Even Ozpin, one of the kindest people she had ever known. It may have been unfair, but it was her emotion on the subject, nonetheless.

On Ozpin's mahogany desk sat several papers relating to Ruby. Classroom assessments, last year's exam papers and results, reports and recommendations from her past schools, and more. A coffee mug sat on the only space not being occupied in the mess of paper, next to a lamp serving as the room's only light source.

Very few negatives were mixed into the paper jumble. Some teachers had reported that she did not pay enough attention in class, but this was offset by her remarkable grades. She also had trouble socialising with others in class, unless they happened to involve her friends, and this brought with it concerns that she would have difficulty entering a work environment after college. But these were only trivial concerns.

Her exam results were fantastic. Ozpin shifted through each of them on the table with a single hand, inspecting her grades from last year's exams, sliding the pages apart. A, A*, A, B.

"If I may say, Ms. Rose…"

Ozpin brought her out of her reverie. She still continued to look at the ground.

"Yes?" Ruby made sure to eliminate all traces of venom from her mumble. There was nothing to be gained from letting antagonism prevail.

"When I accepted England's top performing Mechanics student into Beacon, I expected her to be somewhat focused on her goals and future. However, your subjects of choice left me rather… confused."

"What do you mean?" Ruby answered on auto-pilot. She was good at using generic responses.

Ozpin spread out her exam papers.

"Aside from Mechanical Engineering, you are also studying Art and Design, AS-level Japanese, and Food Studies. Strange choices, wouldn't you agree? They're rather specialised, and the crossover between them is rather strained or non-existent. They lack the generalisation of English or Mathematics. It's clear that you had no set goal in mind."

"Hmm." Ruby acknowledged his words.

Ozpin eyed her carefully. He was covered in shadow, despite being closest to the lamp, but Ruby could see his normal green and grey attire from the corner of her eye. She wore Beacon's uniform, as well as her red scarf that dangled loosely over her front.

"Please don't misunderstand me. Your grades are exemplary nonetheless, and you no doubt have a bright future ahead of you. I just found it curious."

If he was hoping for an explanation, he would be disappointed. She just felt like taking those courses.

This brief talk about her subjects was actually a divergence from the conversation they were having a minute ago, although the exchange was very much one-sided.

The headmaster leaned forward, engaging 'serious' mode as some teachers liked to do.

"Ms. Rose, I'm not asking you to make a decision now. I'm not even asking you to choose a career path. Just take some time to think about what you would like to do. Perhaps you enjoy art more than mechanics, or you would like to pursue Japanese studies abroad. We will help you to the best of our abilities."

For the first time, Ruby felt like responding outside of her usual bracket of one-word answers.

"I still have a year."

Ozpin chuckled and leaned back, chair creaking.

"Yes, you do. And in this last year of your education, it is a necessity that you consider your options."

Why did everybody sound like a broken record? Ruby silently grit her teeth. Ozpin may or may not have noticed her distress.

"That is all, Ms. Rose. I hope you take my words to heart."

"I will, Sir." Ruby lied and stood from her chair as Ozpin gestured to the door in the pitch blackness.

Ruby patted down her uniform and straightened her scarf, trying to look as normal as possible, and walked quickly without another word to Ozpin.

"Oh, and happy birthday, Ms. Rose." Ozpin called out to her just as she reached the door.

Ruby stopped with her hand on the doorframe. It was only natural to say something in response, but her mind was a mess.

"I, that, than… Okay."

 _Okay_ was not a valid response to somebody wishing a happy birthday, and Ruby could feel Ozpin giving a confused stare into the back of her head. However, caring less was impossible, and she walked out, into a dimly lit corridor.

One last year at college, then Ruby would be forced into the outside world, full of fear and uncertainty. One last year at college to live the life she loved with her friends. One last year of this easy and carefree life.

No, she needed to think more positively.

A year was a long time! Innumerable hours lay in wait. Hundreds of thousands of minutes beckoned her call. Millions of seconds begged Ruby to cast aside her fears and enjoy life. College was far from over, and it would be nothing short of wasteful to spend this time in terror.

Why live in fear? Life would continue as normal.

With this mindset, Ruby took some deep breaths to slow down her heart and allay her fears.

* * *

In spite of her own quasi pep talk, Ruby had to stop at the back of the track shed and cry for a few minutes, just to expunge her emotions. Her tears were not that of relief or despair, but just a strangely therapeutic method of cleansing her heart. Anybody who saw her may have thought that she was in distress, but Ruby actually felt much happier afterwards. There was nothing quite like a good cry, she thought.

Ruby breathed out, hoisted her red and black backpack and donned a bright, honest smile. Time to continue life as before.

Lunch had arrived, though Ozpin's office gave the impression of nightfall. She had spent the morning in the dark office, pretending to listen to his ramblings about life after college. Now, she could continue with her day. Her only remaining lesson was Art, a lesson she shared with Blake.

The back of the shed faced a sea of trees that cast short shadows over the track and field, occupied by several students playing football with makeshift goalposts comprised of their crumpled jackets. Ruby calmly walked over a grassy knoll overlooking the track and field, sun overhead, wind blowing and ruffling her red scarf and uniform. Autumn had snatched Beacon in its gusty grasp. Even with the clear sun, a crisp cold overtook the college, turning grass brittle, crunching beneath Ruby's feet. Temperatures dropped, leaves fell and night descended earlier. Some may have considered it the end of summer, but Ruby just thought of it as the start of winter, with summer break now over and the school year starting anew.

Several girls sat on a mound, unperturbed by the bitter cold. At this point in the year, students wore additional layers over their Beacon uniforms, whether they be jackets or scarves and gloves. They sat or kneeled in a circle, their excitable chatter filling the field.

Ruby recognised one of the girls as Velvet, long brown hair topped with a woolly hat, complete with knitted rabbit ears. Being made of thin fabric, the ears dangled wildly with every slight breeze.

"Coco, please give it a try!"

Velvet lifted a book titled 'I May Fall.' She enthusiastically bounced up and down, almost shoving the book in her friends' face. Ruby failed to recall when she last saw Velvet this cheery, though they had hardly interacted in almost a year.

Coco looked at it over the rim of her large shades, unamused.

"This thing? Why is this series even so popular?"

"Because it's just incredible." Velvet barely answered the question. "And everybody is saying this is her best book yet.'

Coco sighed and took the thick book. The cover of I May Fall featured a bed in a field of flowers, set in the backdrop of an orange sky, Ruby saw as she walked by. Coco dropped it into a handbag.

"I'll gloss over it. Personally, I'm more interested in the four new students I've heard so much about." Coco clearly did not intend to read the book.

"Four new students?" A girl with a black beanie spoke. "Isn't it weird for students to join a college in the second year?"

"Somewhat. It gets even weirder when you learn that one of them is famous."

Velvet jumped to her knees, eager to know more. She happened to be a gossip, like a journalist vying for information.

But as Ruby passed them, Velvet's eyes landed on her. She fell silent quickly, and her friends did not notice as they continued to engage in banter.

Ruby glanced back at Velvet, who then looked away nervously. Ruby did the same, not quite racking up the courage to say anything to her ex-girlfriend.

When Ruby and Velvet broke up last year, they told each other that they would remain friends. Ruby rapidly discovered this was a formality. They never went out of their way to speak to each other again, bar a few occasions in which they needed to work together on an assignment.

Being her first girlfriend and considering the circumstances of their breakup, Ruby lacked the resolve to try and befriend the brunette again. Mistakes were made and lessons were learned. And if Ruby ever happened to find herself in another relationship, she refused to ever say something so stupid ever again.

Sighing inwardly at the thought of that messy night, full of shouting and crying, Ruby walked away from her ex-girlfriend without a word.

Leaving behind the cheers of those playing sports, Ruby started to cross the courtyard, heading towards the large cream-coloured dormitories visible over a fountain and through several dying trees. Four large square patches of grass with gravel paths in-between them formed the courtyard, with the fountain dropped in the centre. Gushing water accompanied the sound of chirping birds, creating a tranquil aether not found in other areas of Beacon.

Ruby was not alone. Come lunchtime or after-school, many students milled in the courtyard and sat on the grass, studying in groups. However, it was evening. Everybody would be either in their dormitories or heading into town to find entertainment for the night.

Contrary to this, a girl with pink and brown hair sat at the fountain's edge.

Ruby spent a few seconds watching her from a distance while continuing to proceed to her dormitory. Short, pretty, pale skin, wearing the typical Beacon uniform for girls without leggings, engrossed in reading something on a tablet device. They were the only details Ruby could make out without staring like a stalker. Her path took her next to the fountain, directly in the girl's line of sight, and Ruby quickly turned her gaze forward, pretending not to be interested in her.

Even as Ruby passed in front of the girl, she had to try as hard as possible to avert her eyes. She walked by other students every day, but not unfamiliar students. Ruby often tried, and generally failed, to interact with other students in her year group, and she would certainly remember this girl with strange ice cream coloured hair. She must have been a new student.

The girl did not look up at Ruby, nor did Ruby look down at her. Boot continued to strike gravel without a difference in speed. In turn, the girl continued to swipe her finger across the tablet.

Within seconds, Ruby had taken several steps away from her. Within a few more, Ruby stood under a tree, looking up at the multi-floored dormitory block. Several rose bushes lined the building, planted by Ruby herself in ignorance of the rules and regulations of changing the college's aesthetics, lending some colour to the environment.

She looked back, over her left shoulder, and brushed her hair aside. The girl had not moved. As expected. She did nothing unique. The pretty girl just sat still, reading, all alone.

She could only have been a new student, which were quite rare at this stage in education, like one of Velvet's friends said a minute ago. Of course, that was assuming she was even in the same year. However, it would be impossible to guess the age of somebody in college who happened to be even shorter than Ruby.

Ruby bit her lip. All of her thoughts over the past minute after seeing the girl were the culmination of her trying to figure out if the moment was convenient for beginning a conversation, and if the answer was yes, her trying to gather some conversation starters.

Well, the girl was obviously free, but would she care for being disturbed? It was difficult to-

"Ruby, just go talk to her!"

Ruby's strangely lengthy thought process and considerations that started since entering the courtyard crashed like a car into a brick wall.

The source of disturbance came from above, where a golden-haired individual leaned out of a window on the second floor. Red curtains flapped outside along with her, caught in the wind, serving as a light contrast to the bland cream walls of the building.

Naturally, the only person indiscreet enough to have a conversation with somebody by shouting at them through a window was Yang. She also wore her school uniform, and her tangled mane of golden locks flowed freely in the rushing wind.

"What? Are you drunk?" Ruby pointed up at her in an accusation with a pout.

"Not yet, birthday girl." Yang's loud voice may have been heard by everybody in the dormitory block. "Actually, letting her know it's your birthday is a pretty good conversation starter, don't you think?"

Yang had unsurprisingly started speaking as though Ruby had already made the decision to speak with the girl, which was not at all appreciated.

"Then I'm sure you'll use it as a pick-up line on your next birthday." Ruby frowned.

She twirled her scarf around a finger and was about to enter the dormitory when Yang called out again.

"C'mon, what's the problem?" Yang crossed her arms on the window ledge.

"There's no problem. I just don't want to talk to her." Ruby stopped to give her answer, content in saying anything that allowed her to end this conversation.

Ruby wasn't lying, per se. Though she _did_ want to speak with the mystery girl, seeing Velvet for a brief moment brought up a curious feeling of gloom. As ridiculous as it may be to let a relationship that ended a year ago affect her actions, Ruby just wanted to spend some time with her friends. It had nothing to do with still having feelings for Velvet. That had long passed, so much so that Ruby flirted with Blake and Weiss on a regular basis (Though she did that _during_ her relationship, too. Velvet knew she was joking.).

The girl was a student here; Ruby could encounter her anytime. She just wanted some quality time with the people closest to her.

Ruby had no plans to tell this to Yang. If there was something just as silly as pondering on a past relationship, it was telling her sister that very thought. This was according to Ruby's own logic, anyway.

Yang naturally had no indication of this, and spent a few seconds in contemplation, casting her gaze to the sky.

"Oh, I get it. You were taking off her clothes in your head, then you lost your nerve."

Yang's statement was so casual that it took a second for Ruby to digest it. It did not help that Yang's voice was so loud that the girl probably heard her.

"Sh-Shut up!" Ruby squeaked, suddenly leaning forward with fearful eyes as though trying to force the retort in Yang's face, belied by the open distance between them.

"Say no more, Rubes. She's probably out of your league, anyway."

In reality, if Ruby now swallowed her pride and simply pretended to accept Yang's declaration, she would be able to end this conversation and carry on with her life without speaking to the girl. Unfortunately, it was Yang who made the declaration.

"No she's not!" Ruby put hands to waist in her best attempt at looking courageous.

"Then go for it." Yang dared, baring a mischievous grin.

"I…will. Watch." Ruby swallowed a lump in her throat.

And just like that, Ruby had been forced to put her thoughts of Velvet aside.

Turning around and stomping back, Ruby considered the fact that the girl must have heard everything just now. She would have to be nothing short of deaf or completely entranced in her tablet to be ignorant of their talk.

Now Ruby had a reason to be embarrassed. In terms of talking to/flirting with attractive girls, this could be a boon or a hindrance, Ruby knew. Maybe the other person would take pity on her and find it adorable, or they would just outright not bother with the conversation.

Ruby's pace slowed to a crawl as she got closer. She enjoyed social interaction and flirting with others, but she couldn't really do it too often. Not many people in Beacon enjoyed breaking from their social circle, and the ones willing to do so were not fond of her personality. As such, she in turn hardly deviated from her own group of lifelong friends and roommates, consisting of Yang, Blake and Weiss.

She took a moment to examine the girl completely. She only now noticed the white streaks in the pink half of the girl's hair, along with her chocolate brown eyes. Her uniform had no unique adjustments to it, lending credence to Ruby's theory that she was a new student, though a white and pink umbrella rested next to her pale legs, perhaps her own touch to look different from the crowd. Amusingly, she also wore high-heeled boots, in white, most likely not a part of the school uniform. Perhaps she was self-conscious enough about her height to flout the school regulations in exchange for another couple of inches.

Ruby promptly dubbed her 'Ice Cream' until further notice. And something that struck Ruby immediately was that Ice Cream sat in exactly the same way, still focused on her tablet in exactly the same way, just as before Yang made wild statements for all of Beacon to hear, pretending to have not noticed Ruby approaching.

Ruby stood to her side, just out of view, and breathed in.

"Hey there." Ruby said with confidence, a key trait.

Ice Cream said nothing.

Unexpected, Ruby thought. She rocked back and forth on the balls of her feet, pushing her fingertips together with a sideways glance.

"So…" Ruby struggled to think of a topic not involving her birthday, as she did not want to use Yang's recommendation. "What are you reading?" It was a limp and simple choice of topic, but it would work nonetheless.

Ice Cream did nothing.

"Yup, I understand completely." Ruby sighed. "This is kinda pathetic, huh?"

Ice Cream acknowledged nothing.

As much as Ruby enjoyed talking to girls, the other person actually needed to be involved in the conversation. This was a first. Incredibly rarely, Ruby and the other person would speak with each other. Mostly, she would be told to go away, or the person would leave of their own accord. She had never been completely ignored.

Ruby was silent for ten seconds. The conversation had clearly run its course, as short as it was. At least, if this even classified as a conversation.

One last attempt.

"Can I see what model that is? I'm thinking about buying a new tablet."

This time, Ruby leaned down slightly, so that she could see the back of Ice Cream's tablet.

Ice Cream reacted.

And it was quite an unexpected reaction. As soon as Ruby's head came into view, Ice Cream silently gasped in surprise and jumped back, eyes wide.

However, only water sat behind her, and she would have fallen into it, if not for Ruby hastily grabbing her wrists. Ice Cream was suspended over the fountain, hair tips hovering on the water's surface.

Both Ruby and Ice Cream breathed in relief at the same time. In fact, Ruby almost wanted to laugh. Was this girl really so absorbed in her own world that she missed Ruby's blatant attempts at conversation? Her absolute obliviousness to the world around her, if this was the case, may have been a stroke of luck for Ruby.

Ice Cream was pulled to her feet before the unwritten time limit of touching somebody could pass and be considered weird.

"Sorry about that." Ruby cutely giggled, staring at the ground and shuffling her feet. "I thought you knew I was here."

Ice Cream rolled her eyes, with a curiously dejected expression.

But even so, Ruby noticed that she always wore a casual smile. It certainly suited such a pretty girl. And now that they were both standing, Ruby estimated that Ice Cream was maybe two or three inches shorter than herself, even with the heels. So, Weiss and Ruby were not the only girls who experienced bad luck with their height growth.

"Did you get your tablet wet?" Ruby asked.

In response, Ice Cream just twirled a strand of pink hair while staring into her. Did she even acknowledge the question?

"Um, okay…" Ruby trailed off, unsure of how to proceed. "So-" She was interrupted.

Ice Cream randomly pointed at her pink bag, sitting on the fountain's ledge behind Ruby.

"Oh, you want your bag? Sure!" Ruby happily exclaimed. She started to reach for its handle. "I was kinda worried about talking to you, you know? I sort of believe in Murphy's law-"

Splash.

Ruby needed a moment absorbed the onomatopoeia. While trying not to stumble over her words, she misjudged the bag's distance and shoved it into the fountain.

Ice Cream's bag dropped heavily, sprinkling water on Ruby's face. The realisation had not set in for a few seconds, but rather, Ruby was considering what exactly was in the bag. This was the first day of the school year, so there would be at most a morning's worth of work. There would also be any textbooks she needed for classes, and perhaps even assignments vital to securing grades. Oh, and possibly a phone. The bag itself was rather nice, though not a 'high-class' bag, so maybe the phone was not all that expensive, either.

Well, everything was wet.

"Tch…!" Ice Cream made a single audible noise of surprise and annoyance.

Ruby stammered in an effort to combine 'sorry' with 'please don't drown me.' She looked back at Ice Cream for a split second, but it was not long enough to take in her expression, and she decided to focus on the flooding bag.

Ruby hurled after the bag, almost falling in as well, leaning precariously on the edge. As she snatched the bag and several sheets of paper floating on the surface, she briefly wondered if Ice Cream would kick her in as penance. Fortunately, she remained mostly dry by the time she retrieved it all. Now, she turned to face Ice Cream.

Her facial expression was not one of burning fury, Ruby gladly saw. Instead, it was a blatantly unamused expression, with pouted lips and narrowed eyes, hands on hips and foot tapping loudly on the gravel. Ruby would have considered it cute, if not for the fact that she caused the look.

Ice Cream very calmly and almost intimidatingly took her possessions, never losing her countenance. Slowly, she took out a small number of books, inspecting them. Ruined. Then a textbook that, fittingly, may have related to law. Destroyed. Then a paperback novel titled 'I May Fall.' Of course it was devastated.

Finally, there was a small notebook, with a brown leather cover. It must have opened up while in the fountain, because the pages had turned to mush. Interestingly, Ruby saw no writing or anything resembling an inky substance within the pages, meaning it was probably completely new and had not been written in yet. Despite this, Ice Cream stared longingly at it, as though this was her biggest loss.

Ruby bowed down.

"I'm sorry, I'm so, so sorry! I'll pay for all those books and anything else-"

Ice Cream was walking away. But not before shooting once last unamused glare that may have said 'I think you're the drunk one.' Or maybe it was as simple as 'You're stupid. Stop talking at me.' Regardless, she left with mildly loud footsteps, tablet and umbrella in one hand and soaking bag in the other.

Ruby felt a bit more miserable than she should have. After all, she lost nothing, unless Ice Cream found her and demanded compensation, and they were already strangers to one another. Heck, she never said a single word throughout the entire exchange. This just meant one less potential friend when Ruby had only attempted to make one more at her sister's beckoning.

…It was one less potential cute friend, though.

At least this had taken her mind off of Velvet. Trying to push aside feelings of defeat, Ruby retreated back to the dormitory.

Yang apparently saw the entire ordeal from her vantage point.

"Smooth moves, champ." Yang cheered.

Ruby just responded with an eye roll and an 'ugh.'

"Well, better luck next-" Yang started.

Ruby was about to round the corner when a nearly incomprehensible scream came from their room.

 _'_ _That's not how it works, you pea-haired pillock!'_

The sisters looked at each other, followed by Yang throwing her head towards the room.

"Was that Weiss?" Ruby inquired, scratching her head. Yang looked down at her again.

"Oh, yeah. Weiss made a new friend, wouldn't you know? They're just having a nice, quiet, civil discussion inside our room-"

 _'_ _Wait a minute, me and this petulant princess are NOT friends! Sorry, did you think you were the only who could make insults through alliteration? Are you okay after that fall from your high horse?'_ Came a new voice.

"Sorry, Rubes, I better take care of this."

A worried looking Yang signed off the conversation by closing the windows,.

* * *

Even through the large stretch of painting-lined corridors, even through the cream walls that were supposed to be sound-proof, and even through the multiple floors spread with thick, sound dampening carpet, the argument between Weiss and her supposed friend shook the entire dormitory block.

 _'_ _White is a terrible colour for a presentation, it has no ability to grab an audience's attention!'_

 _'_ _You chose vomit green, everybody's going to look away from the damn screen in disgust!'_

 _'_ _You're actively trying to dismantle my choice instead of justifying your own, showing that you know your colour is worthless!'_

 _'_ _You're not a psychologist, stop pretending to be one just because you aced it at your last college!'_

How many times had Ruby sighed or heavily breathed out already today? She lost count, but she just added another sigh to the number.

She had just climbed a set of stairs when the topic had shifted at a blistering pace. Ruby barely even noticed the change.

 _"_ _Wrong again, Schnee, the Scottish Militia Bill was refused assent in 1707! How can I trust you with handling the colour scheme when you can't even get the basic facts correct?'_

 _'_ _You Neanderthal, it was 1708!'_

 _'_ _1707!'_

 _'_ _1708!'_

Ruby parked in front of her dormitory door, wondering what awaited her on the other side. She was picturing a knife fight, or them loading pistols in preparation a firefight, but whatever it was, Yang had clearly failed in rectifying the situation.

Ruby hesitantly opened the door, hoping that cheery optimism would be able to defuse the argument.

"Hey, everyone!" Ruby beamed.

She should have stayed outside.

In the fairly cramped room, four sets of eyes locked onto her from various points in the room. Weiss stood on the right, at the foot of Blake's bed, partially standing on a cardboard box to try and gain some height and authority. Yang sat crossed leg in between the bunk beds, under the window, ruffling the carpet with her finger for lack of something more productive to do. Ruby had almost missed Blake lying on her bed, wearing a pair of cat ear shaped headphones and listening to music while reading the ever familiar book titled 'I May Fall.' Everybody wore their school uniform, as they still had lessons later in the day. This happened to be a rare time of the week where the four friends had a block free of classes within their typical school days.

Their room was a mess. Having been forced to switch to a new dormitory for the final year of college, the four girls were still in the process of organising their possessions, explaining the presence of several cardboard boxes scattered on the floor. The only thing resembling tidiness happened to be their bunkbeds, but even they were rather haphazard contraptions, comprised of ropes and stacked books.

Ruby had entered expecting a newcomer, and was not disappointed. To her left, opposite Weiss, stood a young woman in Beacon's uniform without leggings. Tanned skin, fierce red eyes, and neat, light green hair. She looked furious, for lack of a stronger word in Ruby's mind.

"Pay attention, Ruby!"

Weiss snapped her fingers, bringing the small girl to attention. She looked just as furious, shooting ice cold daggers into Ruby. German born, yet her English was perfect. Her accent gave the impression that she came from neither of these countries, though, maybe forged from spending time in both.

"Yeah?" Ruby drew out in exasperation under the glare.

"You heard our argument. 1707 or 1708?"

What were they screaming about, again? It sounded law related. Both girls were holding a small whiteboard, both filled to the brim with important-looking work. They seemed to be planning an assignment of sorts, Emerald twirling her marker pen.

Just as Ruby was about to mumble about not knowing the answer, the mystery girl spoke up.

"Hold it. Ruby, right? Do you even study law? And I'm Emerald, by the way." She carried a distinctly non-English accent. She was probably American.

"It's nice to meet-" Ruby raised her hand as a pleasantry, but was stopped.

"I don't care, answer the question!" Emerald's impatience grew every second. This girl was making no effort to even seem friendly.

"No, I don't study law…" Ruby scratched her hair.

This satisfied Emerald, who crossed her arms with a strong sense of authority and a smirk. Her red eyes met Weiss' blue eyes, the contrast and intensity powerful enough to freeze the room.

"As I suspected, Weiss is just trying to garner support from the people around her to compensate for her lack of factual basis and confidence in her answer, which helps her to continue to keep up the lie in spite of being aware of how idiotic she sounds. She's basically a politician!"

Weiss evidently took severe umbrage to this accusation, stabbing her marker pen in Emerald's direction.

"I don't need to hear this from some ersatz psychologist. I'm leaving!"

Weiss was about to storm out, hand on the door. She threw her whiteboard and pen on the floor.

Yang quickly raised an objection.

"Weiss, this is _our_ room."

The heiress stopped in her tracks.

"Oh, right. Emerald, you're leaving!" She swiftly fired her steely gaze at her new rival.

Emerald chuckled, playing with one of her long locks of hair.

"Fine. I knew I couldn't rely on you for this assignment. I'll just do it myself."

"And obtain all of the credit? I think not! Meet me tomorrow after first period."

"After lunch."

Weiss uncharacteristically growled with anger, which Emerald took as a cue to leave.

Emerald could have taken a few seconds to say goodbye to Ruby, Blake and Yang, but Weiss in turn could have blown a gasket. Erring on the side of caution, she tossed her whiteboard and marker pen on Weiss' bed, slinked out of the room, and slid shut the sole exit.

Calm washed over the room. All tension dissipated as though it was vacuumed out with Emerald's departure. Only tranquillity remained, allowing the four girls to breathe easy.

At least, all but Weiss. She paced around for a full minute in total silence, proving to be somewhat unnerving. It was only now that Blake decided to make a contribution, or even make her presence evident.

"She seemed nice." Blake daringly uttered, hopefully as a joke to toy with Weiss.

Blake removed her black cat ear shaped headphones and let them hang around her neck. She kneeled on her bed's pillow, skirt over her knees, I May Fall in hardback on her lap. She had not taken her eyes away from the book, nor so much as flinched when Weiss leaned into her face.

"There is _nothing_ nice about her. And I'm going to borrow that book when you're done with it." Weiss leaned back and folded her arms. Then, she suddenly turned to Ruby. "And _you_ , missy."

Ruby pointed at herself. Weiss must have been annoyed that she took nobody's side in the argument.

"Um…" She tried to think of an excuse.

"Happy. Birthday."

Weiss would have smiled, but she practically had to force the words out through her gritted teeth at this moment in time. Still, at least she was not so focused on seeing red that she was unable to dispense pleasantries.

"Aw, thanks." Ruby smiled with a cute blush.

"And this is from all three of us."

Weiss plastered an envelope on Ruby's face, wiping away the smile in exchange for a splutter. The white haired girl sat on the foot of Blake's bed.

Ruby peeled away the small package from her forehead and opened it. From inside, she took out four tickets to a tour of a chocolate factory.

Ruby let out a bright laugh and swept up Weiss and Blake in a sudden hug, dropping the tickets, and Blake in turn dropped her book with a clatter. Somehow, Ruby was able to bear hug them while keeping them suspended off the ground.

"Thank you, thank you, thank you!" Ruby cheered.

"Ah, Ruby…" Blake squirmed with faint pink filling her cheeks. "I'm not sure if I'm comfortable with your head so close to my chest…"

"I can't help our natural height difference, Blake." Ruby excused herself, still not putting her friends down.

"Hmph, this pervert will use any excuse for a quick feel." Weiss affirmed, glad that she was at Ruby's height.

"No, I wouldn't." Ruby declared.

Yes, I would, Ruby thought.

Although Weiss claimed that the tickets came from all three of the girls, Ruby suspected that they were purchased exclusively by the sophisticated girl, the daughter of the owner of a technology company. Ruby suspected even further that Weiss wanted this kind of reaction from her; not the suggestive hug, but the reaction of glee. In typical tsundere fashion, as all who knew her likened her to, Weiss liked looking after her friends and had the means to do so, but would never admit to it.

A snap alerted them to the presence of Yang. The three turned to the centre of the room, where the blonde stood with a camera and smirk.

When exactly did Yang obtain a camera? Nobody knew.

"That was so adorable! I just had to capture the moment." Yang winked.

Ruby dropped Blake and Weiss, just in time for the black haired girl to lunge at Yang.

"Give me that camera." Blake gravely said. Yang had stepped to the side, dodging Blake, but the lithe girl tried again, desperately attempting to snatch the camera.

"Woah, what's brought this on?" Yang amusedly grabbed Blake's wrist, trying to fend off the assault.

"Nothing, I just want to look at it." Blake spoke in as flat a tone as possible, trying to mask any emotion.

Yang pushed her away with ease, then snapped another shot of her. Instantly, Blake gasped and raised her hands over her face.

"Are you prone to seizures?" Weiss asked, the only one of the other three concerned with Blake's desire to hide her face.

"I don't think that's it, Snowy." Yang slung an arm around Blake, who looked despairingly at the camera in Yang's other hand. "Blake's camera-shy!" She almost sang.

"No, not at all, it's just…"

Blake stopped talking to steal the camera with one swift motion. Yang tried to grab it again, but Blake had proven to be too quick, climbing onto Ruby's suspended bed. There, she continued her sentence.

"Seeing as I'm in the Art and Design course, it's only natural that I use the camera, as photography is a potential method for a student to fill in their portfolio."

Blake barely finished trying to mask her camera-shy nature when she yelped, eyes wide, as Yang grabbed her by the ankle and pulled, nearly taking off her sock. Blake was dragged from the top of the bed bunk and into Yang's inviting arms.

"You told me you're using acrylic paintings to fill in your portfolio." Yang teased. "So, you don't need the camera at all!"

The two were locked in a momentary struggle, with the blonde brawler wrapping her arms around Blake, who kept the camera close to her body in a tight grip. Even Yang and her sheer brute strength failed to pry away Blake's hands.

Their struggle brought them to the floor, with Blake curling into a defensive ball, knees to chest. Even so, Yang was able to force an arm across Blake's stomach, bringing her other arm around Blake's legs, and brought her close. She held the ball of Blake in a cast iron grip, their bodies wrapped in an adorable mix of black and gold. Both of them lay sideways on the floor.

"What is with you people and constantly groping me?" Blake muttered. "Weiss, are Yang's actions illegal?"

"Well, _you've_ technically committed theft, in a sense…" The law student responded. "So you're in no position to talk about legality.

"That's… That's a good point." Blake conceded.

"At least, it'll stop being theft if you just return the camera." Weiss played with her earring.

Yang's eyes lit up. She put her chin on Blake's shoulder.

"You hear that Blake? You don't want to be a law breaker, do you?"

Blake gave no answer, leaving the three to wonder if her anxiety regarding photographs was so bad that she would rather go to prison that be in a picture. Of course, nobody was going to report her or anything too extreme, but Yang had seen this as an opportunity to both tease and torment her friend.

"Unfortunately, Blake, as your friend, I can't let you commit a criminal act. Therefore, I'm keeping you pinned down like this until you give back my camera."

It would be more accurate to say that Yang was cuddling Blake into submission rather than pinning her.

"Then so be it." Blake relaxed to an extent, accepting her fate to be held in Yang's arms until the end of time. There were worse fates, after all.

Weiss and Ruby had taken to sitting on their respective beds in the meantime, watching the pair. A minute passed in total silence, as they all wondered if Yang and Blake were serious in their statements. Seeing as neither moved a muscle, it seemed they were.

"Anyway…" Ruby put a finger to her chin. "Sis, why did you decide to start taking photos?"

Yang cranked her head around to try and look at Ruby.

"'Cause it's our last year, you know? This is as good a year as any to start making some memorabilia for the future."

Ruby jumped down from her bed, casually strolling to the window.

"Uh huh…"

"Ten years from now," Yang continued with glee, "We're gonna take a look at all the photos I've taken and reminisce about all the good times-"

Ruby loudly gasped, staring out of the window, looking at the fountain where she and Ice Cream had the disastrous encounter.

"Sis, you didn't take a picture of me talking to that girl, did you?"

"Huh? No, I didn't think of that at the time." Yang waved it off. "Anyway, when we're done with college, we oughta celebrate-"

"Maybe that's for the best." Ruby impeded Yang again. "I don't exactly want a picture of me shoving her work into the fountain."

Weiss, who had been cleaning her nails, looked up at her.

"You did what?" She asked with concern.

Ruby, glad that somebody else started to follow her attempt to start a new conversation, turned on her heels.

"It wasn't on purpose, it just sort of happened."

"Only with you could something like that just be another normal event." Weiss put her nail file in a drawer. "Who was the girl in question?"

"I dunno." Ruby shrugged. "I was trying to make her acquaintance, thanks to Yang."

"Trying to make her acquaintance in an amicable kind of way or in a hug-giving kind of way?"

"You really think there'd be a difference?"

Weiss tilted her head.

"A fair point."

A loud bell rang through the dormitory.

It indicated the end of one period and the start of the next, as most school bells are want to do, but Ruby failed to internalise this concept for ten seconds as she thought about Ice Cream. During that time, Weiss had already moved to the door.

And, also during that time, Blake and Yang had not moved at all.

"Uh-oh, Blake. Looks like you're not making it to class." Yang gently twirled some strands of Blake's hair with her mocking tone.

"Neither are you." Blake wore a slightly smug expression.

"Of course I'm not. Hell, I don't have a class right now. I dropped a subject this year."

Blake grunted in annoyance. She seemed to be fine with missing class if Yang happened to do so, too. However, Yang was now taking less classes this year, and had no current obligations to attend anything for the next hour.

"…Damn." Blake grimaced.

"Yup, I'm free to take a nap for an hour, and you're very welcome to join me, Ms. Belladonna. It's not like your first Art and Design class of the year is important or anything, right?"

Blake closed her eyes, and when she opened them, their gold pupils were marred with defeat.

"…You can have the camera back." She sighed.

"Aw, I actually wanted the nap."

Yang pulled her arms off of Blake, who uncurled from her foetal position. The camera was hoisted into the air, but just as Yang reached for it, Blake pulled it down.

"But please, no pictures of me." Blake begged in sincerity. Just to add to the effect, Blake turned her head to Yang, large yellow orbs boring into lilac orbs, and donned a sad, fearful appearance.

"Alright, I promise. God, that injured kitten look gets me every time."

Yang took the camera, feigning annoyance. By now, Weiss had left the room, and Blake slipped on her boots to join Ruby.

* * *

Ruby and Blake strolled through the courtyard, crunching leaves under foot, intent on attending their art class by means of punctuality.

"Ruby." Blake began.

"Yup?" Ruby skipped alongside her.

"What was that earlier?"

Ruby slid in front of her, looking up with confusion.

"What was what?"

"You kept cutting off Yang when she was talking about the future, when you were the one who asked her about that damned camera."

"Oh, that…" Ruby almost followed up, but her mind turned blank. Instead, she just coyly smiled, dragging her foot in an arc.

"Ruby, you would tell us if you were worried about something, right?" Blake bore down on her with narrowed eyes.

"Of course I would." Ruby said in her regular, nonchalant voice.

And it was the truth. Ruby could say anything to Weiss, Blake and Yang without fear them ridiculing her or spreading her concerns to other people. Probably.

However, Ruby had nothing to worry about. If she didn't face the problem and her anxiety, then there was no need to worry at all.

They approached the outside entrance of their classroom, a glass door wedged between a pair of large windows embedded in the white brick wall. Blake pivoted in front of Ruby just before entering.

"I'll believe you." Responded Blake, as though she had an option. "This cliché is as old as time, but the three of us are here for you. If you wanted, you can just unload on me when we're alone. I'll listen."

"That's so sweet of you…" Ruby murmured.

She then threw herself onto Blake in her typical windup to a hug. This time, however, Blake lifted Ruby off the floor, so that Ruby's head rested on her shoulder instead of her chest. For a moment, they were quite comfortable in their embrace, but as with most physical contact involving Ruby, it did not last.

"Cute, kind and a teensy bit shy. Can I have you all to myself, Blake?"

A giggling Ruby lightly nuzzled Blake's neck. The taller girl gulped, and for a moment, could only respond with a sharp 'ah!' She quickly recovered, and pushed Ruby away, before holding her by the underarms and lifting her like a puppy.

"Ruby, you need a girlfriend." Blake declared.

"Are you offering?" Ruby sweetly and seductively smiled.

"No." Blake said without a modicum of consideration.

"Spoilsport." Ruby acted as though they had not had similar conversations in the past.

"You know, Ruby…" Blake continued to look into her eyes. "I'm not advocating for you to practically molest everybody you speak to, but maybe if you took your deceptively flirtatious nature and used it to socialise with others, your range of friends would expand beyond two and your sister."

"What? Come on, Blake, I try. But you know that there's only two people in the world other than my family who can put up with me." Ruby tried to stop herself from looking pathetic, putting on a smile, but was belied by her softened expression and dancing eyes.

"I…" Blake put Ruby down, somewhat looking saddened on behalf of Ruby. "Just give it another try. You can practice on the girl glaring holes into the back of your skull right now."

Only at Blake's word did Ruby feel somebody ominous behind her, and turned to see them.

"Ack!" Ruby bounced back in panic.

Ice Cream stood behind her, sharp, brown eyes like slits.

Ruby generally was not startled by the presence of others, but Ice Cream's unique colours stood out against the gravel and grass, providing an eye-popping contrast that caught the slightly taller girl off guard. That, and Ruby felt somewhat embarrassed that somebody saw her horse around with Blake.

Though now was a bad time to say it to her, Ruby found Ice Cream's annoyed, pouting face to be adorable rather than daunting. All things considered, Ice Cream did not seem all too angry. Her bag probably contained quite little in terms of work, bring the first day of college, and her notebook was empty anyway. She seemed annoyed in a teasing kind of way, Ruby would describe it. There was even something of a smile on her lips.

"So, I guess we meet again, huh?"

Ice Cream did not verbally respond, but instead held a hand towards her, holding a timetable.

Ruby leaned forward to inspect it, and Ice Cream pointed a finger to a certain block. Her light pink nail designated the current day and time on her timetable, which read 'Art and Design- Room 14.' She most likely wanted to know where room 14 in question was located.

"We've got the same class." Ruby spoke. She noticed that Ice Cream focused intently on her face. "That's quite a coinkidink, don't you think? Our room is right here, and our teacher is…"

Ruby pointed to the glass door, and this was the only thing that grabbed Ice Cream's attention. Not staying for the end of Ruby's sentence, she entered, leaving the other girl with exasperation.

* * *

Ruby followed Ice Cream into their classroom, who then approached their teacher, parasol tapping on the ground.

The room was as exciting and ordinary as an art room could possibly be. Fine art had been placed in the four corners, impressive and detailed drawings and paintings neatly arranged along the walls. Some had even been placed in the large windows, showing off their splendour to those passing by. Nothing in the room felt particularly unique, even the smell of paint and glue could be conceived as familiar to anybody who entered any art room.

Large red tables that could fit four people each had been arranged as though the one who placed them had been playing a real version of Tetris. They were positioned to maximise space and fit as many students as possible. Blake had chosen a table cast off to the room's side, which would make her less likely to be in the teacher's line of sight, a discreet act of convenience.

Ruby dropped into the seat next to Blake, used to the cheap, plastic chairs that were a hallmark of every class in Beacon. She set her backpack down next to her.

"How did it go?" Blake asked, though she had only left Ruby with Ice Cream one minute ago.

"We didn't even talk to each other. She just wanted to know where this class was, and I pointed at it."

"Baby steps."

A bored looking Blake occupied herself with a smudge on her sleeve, and Ruby observed the front of the class.

Their teacher today was a man with a peach coloured afro, promptly named Professor Peach. Wearing an apron over his untidy shirt, he seemed like a teacher who spent the majority of their time within the walls of their classroom. As of this moment, he sat at the front of his classroom, typing at a computer.

He was not alone at the front. In addition to Ice Cream, there was one more unfamiliar face.

The third new girl Ruby had seen today happened to be the tallest, and with a scorching, unapproachable aura around her. Charcoal grey hair fell over her left shoulder and eye, her right eye burning with a captivating force that stole the beholder's breath.

"Woah…" Ruby exhaled. "She's beautiful."

Blake took interest and looked up. Her golden eyes travelled up the young woman's slim, bare legs, then her slender body hugged by the Beacon uniform, then to her face carrying a dark, seductive smile.

Then Blake suddenly looked away in shock.

"Oh my God." She said in a monotone voice.

Ruby tapped her chin.

"Oh, so you like taller girls, huh? Now it all makes sense."

"No, no Ruby… Yes, but no, it's not that." Blake breathed heavily. "Do you have any idea who that is?"

Ruby glanced at the new student again. Still unfamiliar.

"Nope."

"That's Cinder Fall. Well, that's her pseudonym, anyway. She's penned three critically acclaimed novels within the past two years, and she's not even out of college." Blake's voice became a whisper, so as to not draw attention.

Blake was not the only one murmuring; other students in the class were dropping rumours and gossip into each other's ears.

"What kind of books are they? In terms of genre, I mean?"

At this, Blake coughed and pulled at her collar, an action typically brought about by nervousness.

"I'll… let you borrow one when I'm done. In fact, they're probably exactly your kind of books, when I think about it."

What did that mean? Ruby cast it aside, as Professor Peach finished typing and stood, his barely secured afro rocking back and forth.

The class fell silent as Peach took his place, standing in front of Ice Cream and Cinder, facing his students. Then, he clasped his hands together, rubbing them like he was preparing for a challenge.

"Alright, alright class, are we all, uh, settled down?" He spoke in a soft, measured and ultimately soothing voice. "Good, good, it's good to see all of my young promising students again after those long, long holidays. I, uh, do hope you've all been well.

"As you can all see, we've got a couple of fresh new faces joining the family right here today. It's a bit, ah, unorthodox for students to join in during the second year of a course, but they've just moved into Beacon after finishing the course's first year at another college. They're on the same, you know, ah, theoretical portfolio page as everybody else.

"So, please, welcome to our family Cinder and Neopolitan, by all means."

Normally, new students at a college would not be introduced by the teacher, or even be given the time of day by other students in an introduction when everybody preferred to count the seconds left in the lesson. But contrarily, everybody clapped and cheered for Cinder, a famous face.

And Neopolitan? A pretty name, Ruby thought. Definitely a line she needed to drop on her at some point.

Peach continued to talk before letting the two students sit down, which visibly annoyed Cinder, indicated by the faint glint in her eye.

"Now, we don't have much on the, uh, old agenda today. Everybody should get their portfolios organised today, plan out what you want to do with them, arrange your finished works thus far, and at the end of the lesson, I'll take you through the plan for the rest of year."

At this moment, Neopolitan tapped Cinder's arm, which she took as a cue to brandish a miniscule notebook and scribble into it. Cinder then brought it to Neopolitan's eye level, and whatever was written seemed to satisfy her.

Cinder said nothing throughout the introduction, though perhaps she had no need to, as everybody already knew her. Neopolitan, similarly, said nothing, period. They were allowed to take seats somewhere, at Peach's beckoning.

Neopolitan watched Cinder's movements before doing anything, then started to follow. Ruby took note of this, because there were a variety of empty seats in the class, but she actively sought to be by Cinder's side. Maybe the pair were friends.

And other people seemed to share that thought, as they now noticed that Neopolitan even existed next to the latest champion of the written medium.

Blake abruptly needed to start controlling her breathing.

"Oh God, she's coming to sit with us. I'm about to sit at the same table as Cinder Fall, I repeat, I'm about to sit at the same table-"

Blake stopped when they came within earshot. Although her voice had not risen over a whisper, her face said much more about her increasingly panicked state. Eyes darting back and forth, beads of sweat forming on her face's contours, a tiny twitch of the nose; meeting Cinder today was a great honour for her, and a nerve wracking one at that.

Neopolitan gracefully sat opposite Ruby, placing her parasol against the table, whereas Cinder dropped into the seat opposite Blake, shoulders sagging. She may have worn a smile, but she wore it the same way that a miscreant smiled when breaking the rules. Overall, in terms of presence, Cinder had not met a single expectation one may have had for a well renowned writer.

The class bustled to life as Peach sat down, each student setting out to organise their portfolio. Some gathered paintings they left in class at the end of last year, others set off in search of a camera, and some just sat down with a folder to search through.

Ruby had become more and more fascinated by the pair in front of her as minutes passed by. She had expected Blake to strike up a conversation, but the black haired girl twiddled her fingers, unable to look anywhere near Cinder. Apparently, it was up to Ruby to say something.

Ruby was fairly positive that any question directed at Neopolitan would be met with silence, so instead, she turned to Cinder.

"How do you like Beacon so far?" Ruby asked the first generic question that came to mind.

Neopolitan absorbed herself in a thick pink binder, presumably filled with her work. In the meantime, Cinder put an elbow on the table, leaning on it with chin in hand.

"It's tolerable. Somewhat… lacking, shall we say, in the entertainment department. I suppose I should have accepted earlier that one of the best colleges in terms of giving an education would be equal parts boring."

"Heh, I guess." Ruby had never actually considered Beacon to be a boring place, though she felt a strange compulsion to agree with everything Cinder said. "Blake, thoughts?"

Blake turned to Ruby, then Cinder, then to the table.

"Yes." Blake gave a monotone answer that Ruby considered quite high on the list of invalid responses.

"Is she okay?" Cinder asked Ruby. It seemed an innocent question, but she was pointing at her brain.

"Yeah, she's fine. She's kinda nervous, I think." Ruby only responded on the basis that she had never seen Blake's equivalent of fangirl-ism. At least she wasn't squeeing and begging for an autograph, which Ruby admitted would be both weird and magical.

"Oh. She's a fan, then." Cinder sighed and rolled her eyes, which also doubled as the first time her mouth was in a shape other than a smile, now resembling a straight line.

This triggered a thought in Ruby's mind. Cinder must have been a very successful and likely rich individual. Somebody writing three novels at a young age only happened once in a blue moon. She would be set for life, surely.

So why was she attending college?

Ruby wanted to ask, but feared it would be a rude invasion of privacy. She had her own reasons for being in college, just as everybody else.

"A fan? Me? No, I mean, only a little," Blake stammered, her hands drumming the desk, "you know, barely a fan at all. Just a tiny speck on the cosmos that is your fanbase."

Blake clearly intended to keep going, but her voice cracked, bringing the conversation to a stand-still. Cinder and Ruby's eyes met in a brief glance, telling each other that they should drop this line of conversation, lest Blake crack under the pressure of needing to speak.

Instead, Ruby turned her attention to Neopolitan, who continued to rifle through a folder. Ruby nervously tapped her fingertips together, trying to think of something to say. After destroying her work and other books, an apology was first and foremost in order.

"Hey, Neopolitan? I'm really sorry about what happened earlier."

And Neopolitan did not notice Ruby speak. Cinder did it on her behalf, tapping the small girl on the shoulder. Pink and brown strands of hair bounced up as her attention was raised. Cinder was about to explain what Ruby had said, but a thought then struck her.

"Oh, wait a minute, you must be the 'injudicious shortcake' Neo mentioned earlier." Cinder darkly chuckled. Everything she spoke had a cool, seductive tone attached. Like Emerald, she also sounded American.

"Shortcake?" Ruby tried to make sense of the word. "Is she calling me short? Pot, the kettle called."

"Indeed, if her boots were up any higher, Neo would be blind."

That may have been a bit excessive. Neo brooked no offence, fortunately, first looking at Ruby, then at Cinder, waiting to be addressed directly.

Ruby then realised that she had failed to introduce herself to the pair. Weiss would have chided her for the lack of manners by now.

"I'm Ruby by the way, and this is Blake." Ruby held out her hand.

"Enchanté. I go by my pseudonym Cinder, and Neopolitan prefers Neo. It's easier to articulate during communication."

An interesting choice of words, Ruby thought.

Ruby shook hands with Cinder first, then Neo offered her hand and a smile as well, which surprised Ruby. Affirming Ruby's suspicions, she had no hard feelings about their encounter earlier. Perhaps Neo appreciated that she felt horrible about destroying the bag. Regardless, they both shook hands.

Then, Neo extended her hand to Blake. They shook, and Cinder did the same. This time, Blake stopped herself, looking at Cinder's hand for a second. The taller woman rolled her eyes.

"I'm not at the centre of any kind of cosmos, by the way. You can shake my hand without being sucked into a black hole."

"Right…" Blake breathed out. She limply accepted Cinder's hand, though retained the unworthiness etched on her face.

When all was said and done, the four began their work. They set about accomplishing their own tasks.

Neopolitan pulled out a sheet of thick paper covered in calligraphy. Ruby gazed at it, noting the stunning penmanship, observing how the words and letterings fashioned sleek shapes in the form of flowers and other flora. There existed a strange sense of irony that the girl who never spoke a word had chosen calligraphy as her main art form. Her style was incredible. Striking, captivating, beautiful, not unlike Neopolitan herself, something that Ruby wanted to say to her right now, but knew it would be pointless.

However, Neopolitan looked at her artwork with an expression bearing dissatisfaction. She must have thought that it could be improved upon somehow.

Upon seeing Neopolitan's art, Ruby felt her art would be classed as inferior in comparison. She preferred acrylic paints, similar to Blake, and anybody would consider the two styles too different to compare. This did not stop Ruby from looking at her up-close painting of a rose, finished just before the end of the last school year, and contemplating how it could be amended. The shading was off. The stem was too large for the rose. And the longer she stared at it, the more she started to dislike the shade of red. Not to mention It utilised no techniques from artists they had studied.

Now she hated the painting. What a strange, disgusting feeling. Ruby thought this painting was her magnum opus, but how could it be such a thing when so much was wrong with it?

Nothing for it but to redo the whole image. She could start again today, beginning with an outline, and get into the painting itself at a later date. For now, she just needed a new canvas and suitable pencil.

The classroom's storage closet sat to their right, white door plastered with Peach's professional drawings of fruit. Several students had already entered and left, leaving the door half open.

Ruby and Blake rose from their seat together, the latter having her own motive to enter the storage closet, an unfinished canvas sitting on her side of the table. It appeared to be of a strange, burning monster, humanoid in appearance and swathed in flames, trying to jump into an ocean while flanked by fields of flowers, mainly featuring violets and marigolds. Ruby tried again to take in all of its details and contradictions, but gave up.

Cinder also stood, leaving her chair haphazardly between the thin passages separating the tables. Peach should have warned her that this was a health and safety hazard in such close confines, but Cinder's unapproachable aura turned him away without her needing to say anything.

Blake entered first, followed by Ruby, then Cinder. The storage closet had no space to spare, stocked to the brim with various shelves and cabinets stocked on art resources, but the trio were able to fit. Blake fumbled around the top shelf for black paint bottles, Ruby tried to pull a new canvas out of a messy pile, and Cinder dug into a box of miscellaneous items next to Blake.

It occurred to Ruby that if Cinder and Neo were friends, and Cinder was on a nickname basis with the silent girl, their association may have begun before entering Beacon. Then they might know Emerald and the fourth, unseen new student, too.

"Cinder, do you know a girl called Emerald?" Ruby felt no need to be pedantic about the question.

"That I do, she's a friend of mine." Cinder answered in an equal manner. "You've met?"

Ruby heaved to yank a canvas free, staggering back. She held it in both hands, looking over its top at Cinder.

"Kind of. She was having a shouting match with my friend."

Cinder wrenched an empty jar out of the box, though Ruby had no idea what she would use it for. She set the jar down and dove back in.

"Emerald likes to believe she can get into anybody's head. Ironically, this leads to her butting heads with-"

Blake, on her toes, gasped and stumbled while reaching for the top shelf, and dropped a bottle of black paint onto-

Cinder caught Blake and held her close with one hand and snatched the paint bottle with the other.

It happened so quickly that Ruby had to play the moment over in her mind. Blake barely grasped the paint bottle above her while standing on her toes, she slipped and knocked the bottle over as the lid came loose, Cinder immediately grasped them both.

And now, Ruby was treated to the adorable sight of Blake being grasped by yet another young woman, heavily blushing and nervously squirming with Cinder's hand on her stomach. Cinder clearly found great amusement in this, just as Yang would and Ruby currently did.

"I'm sorry Blake, but we're not at the point in our relationship where we can have matching hair shades." Cinder mocked, comparing her ashen hair to Blake's own.

Blake put more effort into wrestling away than she needed to, as Cinder lowered her arms. Blake adopted an anxious giggle as she turned to face Cinder. She was about to say something, opening and closing her mouth repeatedly like a fish, but then faced the door and darted outside, having cracked under the pressure and choosing to flee.

"That happened." Ruby commented, unsure of how to proceed.

In her retreat, Blake had forgotten to obtain the black paint from Cinder. The tall woman handed it to Ruby instead.

"It would seem my tease scared her off." Cinder unapologetically said. "Is she socially anxious?"

Cinder now held a pair of empty jars, while Ruby held the black paint in one hand and dragged the new canvas along her left with the other. They both left the storage room, heading back to their table. Blake was already sitting at the table, pretending to be busy and acting as though nothing happened.

"A tiny bit. Mainly, she doesn't like attention. I think she's more glad that she didn't throw paint all over you-"

Ruby tripped over Cinder's chair with a clatter and doused Neo in black paint.

"Ah…!" Neo's audible, hoarse gasp was all Ruby could hear as she fell.

And when Ruby connected with the floor, the next noise she heard was that of her own groan. A groan that combined pain and regret. Pain from her chin hitting the floor, making her bite her tongue. Regret as any reparations she had made with Neo up to this point had now vanished. On her way down, Ruby saw the expression on Neo's face, containing shock and trace amounts of anger.

Silence enveloped the room. After the initial racket of the chair colliding with the floor followed by Ruby falling, she decided to just close her eyes and pretend that she was alone, away from prying eyes, away from Neo, away from any and all embarrassment. Annoyingly, the universe did not see fit to grant Ruby powers of invisibility.

A hand touched on her back. This brought her back to reality, allowing Ruby to fully comprehend the pain shooting through her tongue and the taste of metal. She sharply whined, putting a hand over her mouth. Ruby got to her knees to see who was consoling her.

Surprisingly, most of all to Ruby, it was Neo. The girl's left cheek was splattered with black paint, but her clothing suffered the most damage, almost completely covering her left side.

Neo's expression took a moment to understand. Eyes slightly narrowed in a display of both irritation and concern. Mouth twisted in the corners in admission as if to say 'You're in worse shape than me right now.' Only then Ruby noticed a small trickle of blood on her own lips. Really, although Ruby was certainly in pain, she probably looked worse off than she felt.

Neo fired a glare at Cinder, who stood to their side. Cinder generally gave off an air of being somebody who only cared about self-interest, but when Ruby snuck a glance at her, she appeared genuinely remorseful. It would seem Neo was blaming Cinder, who adopted a straight face and could not make eye contact.

"I'm sorry. I left my chair out like an idiot." Cinder accepted the blame.

"It's alright." Ruby mumbled as best she could, partially through gritted teeth as she could barely talk.

Neo swung her head away with a flippant nostril flair, condemning Cinder in a quirky fashion. Ruby failed to tell if Neo allowed Cinder to finish the sentence, as she gave the impression that she relied more on instinct than any sense.

Ruby allowed herself to be helped up by Neo. Neo lacked physique, but she was able to pull Ruby to her feet, if only because Ruby was also a small individual. By now, Peach had given them permission to leave, and together, the pair exited the classroom.

* * *

Some time shortly after, Neo and Ruby stood in a bathroom, amending their respective blemishes. Ruby swashed cold water in her mouth, numbing the pain, and washed the blood from her mouth. Neo scrubbed a wet paper towel against her cheek before setting about wiping down her clothes before the paint dried; the damage had already been done, leaving a giant black smudge on her uniform, but they were at least salvageable by acting now.

There was nothing unique about the bathroom. Several mirrors and faucets were embedded in the cream walls, with toilet stalls opposite them. Ruby and Neo were side by side, Neo closest to the door.

Ruby watched Neo from the corner of her eye. She had expected frustration or neutrality from Neo, but not kindness. She had actually been taken aback, somewhat. Of course, Neo needed to use the bathroom too, but the way she was first to offer assistance struck Ruby as rather thoughtful.

A bell rang throughout the college, signifying the end of class. Ruby barely felt the past hour go by.

Ruby tapped Neo on the shoulder. They faced each other, the latter with her typical smile. In that moment, Ruby was unsure of what to say. Or rather, how to say it. She tapped her fingers together, then decided to just say it.

"Thank you for helping me back there."

Neo watched Ruby's lips, then cocked her head with a bright grin.

"And," Ruby continued, "if there's anyway I can repay you for that and your books this morning, just ask."

Neo turned her head and put a finger to her cheek, smirking more enticingly and with eyes like thin fissures.

Was she asking for a kiss on the cheek? That was _exactly_ the kind of thing that Ruby would ask of Weiss or Blake, in this position. Neo was not even remotely trying to hide her glee, as everything about her demeanour right now dared Ruby to kiss her.

Ruby was only surprised for a single second, making sure that she had not misunderstood Neo's intentions. If Neo was actually asking her to check her hair for paint spots, this would end up rather embarrassing. But no, Ruby understood the situation.

Ruby shrugged. Sometimes, you just have to do what the lady tells you to do. If Neo wanted a kiss as compensation, who was Ruby to complain? This was a compliment crossed with flirtation.

Closing the distance, Ruby leaned forward without hesitation.

The door opened as Ruby's lips were an inch from Neo's cheek. Ruby froze first, and when Neo noticed that something was amiss, she turned towards the door. Neo looked highly disappointed that she did not get the peck.

Cinder stood in the doorframe, a green corridor behind her, staring at the two. She held Ruby's bag in her left hand.

"Well, your relationship escalated quickly. Another hour, and I may have found you both in the toilet stall."

Ruby pulled back, coy.

"I was just thanking Neo for the help."

As Cinder responded, she put Ruby's bag on her wrist to free her hand, then made several gestures with her hands; sign language. Ruby could not recall Cinder doing this during class.

"She asked for the kiss as a reward or something similar, didn't she?" Cinder paused her signing. Her movements were slow and full of hesitations, suggesting she was not completely fluent in the language.

"Um, yeah…"

Next to Ruby, Neo modestly took her brown hair in hand and coiled it.

"Neo is quite the promiscuous little rogue. She'll take advantage of any opportunity to steal a kiss or an embrace from a girl." Cinder spoke and signed at once.

For a second, Ruby's mind turned blank. Weiss, Blake or Yang could replace the name Neo with Ruby in that statement and they would not be liars.

Neo took exception to Cinder's signing, and reciprocated with her own barrage of gestures. Ruby had no clue as to what she said.

Whatever was Neo's response, it made Cinder laugh.

"Huh?" Ruby tried to stay in the loop, addressing Cinder.

"Nothing, Ruby. You should be flattered, is all."

If Ruby had to guess, she would say that Neo either gave a compliment, or bragged about having high standards, which Ruby must have met.

"Anyway, did you come looking for us?" Ruby asked.

Cinder also signed Ruby's question, acting as a medium for the pair.

"We did. The least I could do after being responsible for your fall is bringing you your bag."

Cinder slung Ruby's bag from her wrist at her, caught with both hands.

"Thanks!" Ruby smiled and put the bag over her shoulders. "And did you just say we?"

"I did. Blake is insistent on staying three steps behind me."

"Hi Ruby." Blake's voice could be heard from the corridor.

Neo signed, and Cinder nodded. The tall girl stepped away from the door, and Blake came in, carrying Neo's parasol. The exchange occurred, and Neo leaned on her parasol like a cane.

Deciding to exit the bathroom, all four girls now stood in a square in the green corridor, a part of the art department, reflected with artwork from students no longer in the college. Ruby stood between Blake and Neo, trailing her foot in an arc.

"So, what are you two doing now?" Ruby inquired towards Cinder and Neo, as the next period of the day had already begun. Cinder still signed as much of the conversation as possible.

"Nothing. That was our last lesson of the day." Cinder nonchalantly responded. "I imagine that we're just going to tour the college for the rest of the day."

Neo nodded in affirmation. Ruby and Blake found it strange that they were not familiar with Beacon's layout. Did the four new students really enter Beacon without even inspecting it beforehand?

Neo then made several gestures.

"Neo said that she would welcome your company. I too, if you're not busy." Cinder translated.

Blake shied away, gawking at Ruby first, then her feet. She wanted Ruby to decide.

Of course Ruby was going to say yes. How could she refuse when Neo wanted her companionship? And Cinder may be a little impolite, but she was a nice person at heart. Plus, seeing Blake fluster during every interaction with her favourite writer had a certain adorableness that Ruby wanted to witness some more.

"It'd be our pleasure." Ruby politely bowed.

Neo grinned, then twirled her parasol to shoulder-level, opening it. She appeared to be ready to leave this moment, and signed, even with the parasol in hand.

"Let us be off, said Neo." Cinder beckoned them as well.

But before anybody could move a step, the doors at the other end of the corridor, behind Neo and Cinder, were thrown open. Cold wind pressed against them as the two had to whip around to look. The doors caused quite a loud noise upon being flung apart, like the ones who opened them were competing to make the biggest bang, and ultimately shook the corridor.

"Ruby, Blake!" Came one voice.

"Cinder, Neo!" Came another.

Weiss and Emerald ran side by side, rushing towards the four. They were both out of breath, likely having searched the school to find them. The two approached their respective friends.

"Hey, Weiss. What's up?" Ruby asked, as it was rare that Weiss appeared genuinely concerned.

"Emerald? Is something wrong?" Cinder had the same thoughts of her own friend. She put her hands on hips in patience.

Weiss started first.

"Ruby, some dim-witted donkey just challenged your sister to a fight!"

Then Emerald followed up.

"Cinder, some blonde bimbo just forced Mercury to fight her!"

After Weiss and Emerald said their piece, there was a moment of silence, while they comprehended both statements. Cinder broke it, standing between them.

"Somebody here is telling a porky pie." Cinder ridiculed.

Weiss pointed her finger at Emerald.

"Obviously, Emerald is lying. Yang would never be so brash as to pick fights with random strangers." She scowled.

"Want to spend some of your daddy's cash betting on that?" Emerald retorted.

"I beg your pardon? What are you implying…?" Weiss staggered, her voice weakening.

"What, are you saying a pampered princess like you doesn't throw around her family's funds all willy-nilly?"

Weiss' face dropped, losing anger in exchange for melancholy.

"I, I hate…" It was remarkable how quickly Weiss started to crumble when her family was brought into a conversation. Her narrow eyes became large, like a deer in the headlights, visibly wounded by the thought of her relatives.

Emerald knew in an instant that she had said something unfair. She made an 'um,' surprised that her new rival had emotions beyond irritation and anger, and they happened to be brought out in the topic of family. Emerald looked Weiss in the eye as she tried to look away, her own eyes softening, and clearly welled with regret.

"Never mind, forget what I said." This was the closest Emerald could come to an apology, and decided to drop the topic. "Anyway, Mercury doesn't go around actively engaging people in fights for fun. Something that barbaric must be a trait exclusive to your blonde friend." Emerald claimed, putting her foot down.

This time, it was Blake who stepped up to argue with Emerald. She had forgotten that she had been nothing but shy while Cinder was present, and only now decided to speak up.

"Yang is _not_ barbaric." Blake asserted with a cold tone. "She's the kindest person you'll ever know in your life."

"It definitely wasn't Mercury who chose the engagement." Emerald crossed her arms. "He literally doesn't care enough about anything to start fights, so your brute of a friend is to blame."

Blake fired a perilous scowl at Emerald.

Blake would have stepped towards Emerald if not for Cinder putting her arms between them. Neo, also worried about incoming sparks, stepped next to Ruby and signed Cinder.

"Yes." Cinder agreed with Neo without explaining. "Let us go find Yang and Mercury now. We can talk things through later."

Blake and Emerald retained their harsh expressions, but stepped apart nonetheless.

"Fine." Weiss followed Neo's example, and stood by Ruby. "They're at the gym. Let's not waste time talking to this trog-"

Ruby put her hand over Weiss' mouth before she said something stupid, resulting in muffled yelps.

"Let's get going." Ruby spoke over Weiss, nervously smiling.

* * *

Yang slipped on her black boxing gloves and clenched her fist.

In the gym's confines, a small array of people had gathered, eager to watch Beacon's best athlete face off against a new kid on the block. Humidity enveloped the gym; the people watching were those who had been using the gym up to this point.

'Yang, Yang, Yang, Yang!'

They all cheered Yang's name from the outskirts of the boxing ring, directly in the gym's centre. Just over the red ropes, Yang could see exercise equipment scattered around the large, square room. It was lit entirely by several lights, with no windows, bar the glass door serving as the entrance and exit. A storage room had been opened, where a pair of students were pulling out benches to stand on for a better view. Everybody moved in some way, whether it be waving and cheering or climbing over one another. Everybody except the ring's two occupants.

Yang, in a yellow tank top and black shorts only, examined her opponent.

Mercury leaned on the ropes, a tall, well-built boy, silver haired and perpetually smirking. He only wore loose fitting silver shorts and padded foot guards, exposing his upper body and lower legs. Despite the crowd being on Yang's side, Mercury was unfazed and practically laughing in the face of adversity.

Between Yang's boxing gloves and Mercury's padded foot guards, they only wore the bare minimum in safety gear, not bothering with body or head protection. This was by no means a sanctioned fight, something they would need to finish before a teacher arrived.

Over the crowd's cries, Yang heard the door swing open, and saw Ruby, Blake and Weiss arrive with the other three new students. Yang waved at them, grinning.

"Aw, you guys came to cheerlead for me! Blake, I want you at front and centre."

They pushed their way to the ring, Blake saying something inaudible. She might have told Yang to shut up.

"Sis, what's happening here is kinda obvious, but I still have to ask. Why?" Ruby raised her voice to be heard.

Yang shrugged.

"There's no need for why. We're just sparring."

"Without protective gear? Somebody's gonna leave the ring with a broken jaw."

"It's not going to be me, so who cares?"

Mercury casually inspected his fingernails, not affected by her taunt. He stood when Emerald approached his side.

"Merc," Emerald began, "please do me a favour and put Yang away, if only to wipe away Weiss' attitude."

Did Mercury already know Weiss? Ruby couldn't remember Weiss mention him earlier.

"You didn't have to tell me that." Mercury cracked his knuckles, speaking in a sly yet deceptively arrogant tone, and like his friends, in an American accent.

"Yang!" Weiss called out. "Bury him and silence Emerald right now!"

"Yeesh, calm down, princess." Yang stuck out her tongue. "We know how this is gonna end."

Blake stood behind Weiss, and caught Yang's attention.

"Yang, if it doesn't end with him lying in a pool of his blood, you'll disappoint me." Blake growled. Yang stammered, taken by surprise by her desire for bloodshed.

"Sure… Um, whatever you say, kitty."

Emerald laughed.

"Of course you primates want to settle things with violence. How could you morons know any better?"

"What the frick?" Weiss spluttered. "You were just urging on Merc-"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever." Emerald waved her away. "Are these two going to fight, or what?"

Mercury and Yang stared at each other, wondering if it was ethical to fight each other for the sake of settling differences between their friends. However, Mercury cracked his neck and smiled.

"Let's get this other with." He stepped forward, assuming his fighting stance. Mercury had not verbally spoken much up to this point, but his stance said so much more; he was not interested in fighting for his friends' feud. He wanted to fight Yang for his own reasons. Boredom? Challenge? Intrigue? Ruby couldn't tell.

"Yeah." Yang shared the same sentiments. She readied her stance and closed in.

They opposed each other in the ring's centre. People whistled and chanted Yang's name.

"Remember Merc," Emerald shouted, "it's not just about winning. It's also about how many teeth you can knock out _while_ you're winning."

"Pfft." Mercury chuckled.

Mercury and Yang marched towards each other, and bumped their fists together. A pleasant sign of respect. Then, they both breathed out. Neither started. But they shuffled around each other.

They made slight steps closer.

And closer.

Closer still.

Nobody breathed.

All watched.

Their hands touched.

Yang threw a wide haymaker for her opening gambit, he ducked, she brought her hands up, then hopped forward with an uppercut, he dodged. Bouncing on her feet, Yang continued to close in on Mercury. When he gave ground to avoid an attack, she covered it again, unrelenting in her attack. Jab forward, missed, duck in and straight punch, he leaned to the side. Growling, Yang launched a fist that audibly cut the air. He simply ducked, her fist catching his hair. A grey strand came loose, slowly falling, then being blown aside as Mercury rose with a twist kick that sprayed dust from the floor.

Yang blocked, but his kick contained such force that she staggered back in shock. He almost lazily continued his attack. Leg overhead, he swung down, catching her arm, slamming the floor. He twisted his body to follow up, she weaved, barely leaning away in time to dodge a head-aimed kick. He was vulnerable, she swung at his body, landed. He wheezed and staggered, falling backwards, the crowd cheered, she continued, lightly swinging a fist to put him down.

Mercury flipped when his hands connected with the floor, almost catching Yang in the jaw during her swing, and landed on his feet again. He stopped moving for a second, eyes focused on Yang, calming his respiration. The punch she landed had an effect. He already looked far more serious now than at the start of their fight.

Yang dashed in, left hook, right hook, he dipped under one, deflected the other, their clashing limbs echoing in the gym. Mercury rose his knee, making her flinch defensively, then snatched her arm, pulling her around and delivering a jump kick to her gut. She coughed upon hitting the floor, audience gasping, and slammed her fist down in anger. She jumped up.

Mercury hopped forward mid-run up to her, aiming a strong axe kick. She caught his leg with both gloved hands and hurled him into a corner, the boy grunting and rolling to stay on his feet. He stood in time to brush aside a fierce swipe, back to the corner post, face wrought with pressure as Yang trapped him, the crowd lauding for her again. Just as she reeled back for a heavy handed punch, Mercury kicked off the post and grabbed her shoulders, heaving himself up and vaulting over her, landing on all fours.

An overtly ridiculous manoeuvre in any situation, yet Mercury made it look natural, even smirking as looked back at Yang before rising. Yang, contrastingly, looked furious, eyes burning with rage and baring her teeth. He was running rings around her.

Yang lunged forward, but he kept her at range with a forward kick, blocked, and a left kick, pushing her to the side. This just infuriated her further, but a right kick prevented her from getting closer. He seemed to be enjoying her annoyance as he practically taunted her with a feint, then lifted his leg up. Instead of slamming it down as she raised her guard, he brought it back and stepped forward, jumping and twisting in preparation for a spin kick.

Mercury saw the threat far too late. So sick of his antics was Yang that she decided to throw caution to the wind and launch an all-out offence. Roaring, she stamped her foot forward and hurled a vicious, air-cracking straight punch, just as he was launching his spin kick.

Timed slowed as their attacks came close.

Closer.

Closer still.

Nobody breathed.

All watched.

And Mercury and Yang slammed their limbs into each other's faces.

There was nothing ceremonious about the finale. Mercury wobbled for a moment. Then he flopped over, unconscious. Yang fared slightly better, if it was any consolation. She stumbled onto the ropes, then fell halfway through them, also unconscious.

Ruby was pretty sure she saw a tooth fly, but had no idea who it belonged to. She happened to be occupied watching the two fighters fail to resolve the conflict in their new stupor.

The gym fell silent. Double knockouts were rare, and nobody expected to see one today, let alone when it involved the jewel of Beacon's athletes. What kind of response was the average student supposed to have here?

Roughly thirty seconds passed, by Ruby's estimation. Blake moved first, jumping into the ring. She heaved Yang off the ropes, lying her down, upper body in her arms. Blake did not bother shouting for her to wake up; it was perfectly clear that Yang would spend some time asleep.

Emerald was first to Mercury's side, rolling him on his back.

"I think we should call this a draw."

Weiss crawled into the ring.

"Technically, Yang was standing a second longer, so-"

"Give it a rest, you pompous pipsqueak." Emerald continued to manufacture insults from alliteration. "Our friends are hurt." She added with a touch of venom, silencing Weiss. Ruby liked to think that Emerald was being caring of her friend as opposed to using it as an excuse to shut Weiss up.

Cinder leaned on the ring's edge, facing into it.

"Neither of them will be happy when they wake up, Hell, I hope they try to kill each other. I want to be there when it happens." Cinder had no reservations about her last statement. "But until then, they need to go to the infirmary."

The prying students around them started murmuring amongst themselves.

 _'_ _Let's get outta here.'_

 _'_ _Yeah, our professors'll ask about why there was an unsupervised fight.'_

 _'_ _Does this mean Yang's win streak is broken?'_

 _'_ _Dunno. Does this even count as a loss?'_

 _'_ _Let's just pretend this never happened, like Donald Trump's campaign.'_

The audience filed out of the gym at a rapid rate. By the minute, only eight people remained, Ruby, Neo and their friends.

* * *

Those very eight people later found themselves in the infirmary, Mercury and Yang still sleeping peacefully with bruised jaws, and joined by an unpleased professor.

"At this point in their school lives, you would think that they'd act more like adults. How ludicrous." Professor Goodwitch irately stomped back and forth.

The infirmary only contained one bed, given to Yang, so Mercury was laid out on a series of chairs. There were very few unique features in the cramped room. A table against a wall, educational pictures of diagrams, complicated machinery and a faucet by the bed, a model skeleton by the door, even the walls were a generic shade of white. It barely had enough room for seven standing individuals, let alone when one constantly moved around.

Neo sat on Mercury's chest. This started a brief signed conversation between herself and Cinder, resulting in the former smiling gleefully and the latter deciding it was not worth arguing against. Ruby considered that Mercury was not able to complain.

Goodwitch scratched at a clipboard in one hand with a slender pen.

"How did this fight even begin? Why would they fight with such reckless abandon?"

"C'est la vie for Mercury." Cinder commented, leaning on the wall.

"Yeah, say a V for Yang, too." Ruby was sure she mimicked the saying correctly, whatever it meant.

Grimacing, Goodwitch stopped in front of the door.

"I would like to give them a stern reminder of the rules and regulations of Beacon pertaining to our safety conduct, but I suppose I'll have to wait for them to awaken before I can have my fun." Goodwitch menacingly swiped at her clipboard. "Until later, then."

Without bothering to say goodbye, the professor walked out.

Everybody waited momentarily, wondering if somebody would make a decision as to what to do next. Neo made the first move.

But it was not an expected move. She turned to Mercury's head while still sitting on his chest and poked his neck several times.

Ruby, at first, had no idea why Neo was doing this. The best thing she could think of was that Neo had an OCD for trying to stab holes through unconscious people. To her surprise, there was actually a reason to this action.

Mercury stirred.

"Damnit Neo, how'd you know I was awake?" He groaned and swatted away her hand.

Neo hopped off his chest, letting Mercury move to a seating position. Everybody else looked surprised that he was no longer in a slumber. The boy sniffed, head hanging low and movements slow, hair dishevelled and arms limp in his lap.

Cinder stood off the wall, arms behind her head.

"How long have you been awake, then?" She inquired, faint hint of teasing in her voice.

"Long enough to know I should avoid Goodwitch for a while." Mercury tried to stand, but ended up staggering back down. "Yeah, I'm gonna need a couple of minutes here. Yang's got one hell of a right arm."

He rubbed his chin, grunting.

Blake then jolted, struck by inspiration, eyes wide.

She turned to the bed, where Yang lay, and approached it. Everybody knew where this was going.

Blake jabbed a finger into Yang's rib.

"…You caught me."

Yang opened her eyes, lilac orbs set on Blake. She then grabbed Blake by the waist and pulled her onto the bed, ignoring her yelp.

"Y-Yang…" Blake muttered as she was forced into Yang's surprise grasp, arms flailing.

"Were you worried about me, Blake? Were you gonna spend the night tossing and turning in bed, scared for my life?" Yang tightly squeezed Blake, not caring about the company of others.

"I'm more scared for my sleep schedule now that you're awake…"

Yang giggled and rested her head on Blake's neck, even as her prey futilely tried to push away. Everybody, sans Ruby and Neo, were visibly queasy by the blatantly sweet display.

"Get a room, you two." Weiss pretended to gag.

Neo signed, and only Mercury saw.

"Only you would benefit, Neo." He responded, speaking and signing. Whatever Neo kept saying to her friends, it made Ruby want to learn sign language.

Blake gave up struggling, just as she did in their dormitory earlier. She deeply sighed, and let herself be cuddled, deciding to at least get comfortable.

Mercury managed to rise from his seat this time, holding his jaw in one hand. He stepped forward, nobody speaking.

"Hey, Yang." He called her.

"Yup?" She cunningly looked at him, everybody wondering if he was about to start another fight after being unsatisfied with the outcome of the match.

"Nice fight." He offered his fist.

"Hear hear." Yang leaned over Blake and bumped it.

Mercury used the bed-side faucet to pour water into a pair of glasses.

"Here's to a whole year of trying to kill each other over simple contests." Mercury calmly gave Yang a glass.

"I could get used to that." They tapped the glasses together and started drinking.

They drank slowly.

And they watched each other through the water.

They sped up with each passing second.

And Yang brought her glass down first, just as Mercury finished.

"Damnit, rematch!" Mercury spouted in frustration.

Mercury started to refill their glasses.

In the meantime, Weiss and Emerald started a conversation of their own. Ruby had only just started listening in. Apparently, they were continuing their argument from the gym.

"If we're going to decide the winner of their match based on time spent unconscious, then obviously Mercury is the winner, as expected. He woke up first." Emerald rapidly gushed.

"We don't know that, they were both pretending to sleep for a disproportionate amount of time to avoid Goodwitch. Yang could have woken first for all we know." Weiss tersely responded, standing up to Emerald as much as her height would allow.

"Fine, let's ask them. Mercury!" Emerald snapped to the boy like a machine.

"What?" He operated the faucet without turning to them.

"How long have you been awake, in seconds? Answer me now!"

"Yang, you too!" Weiss shouted, pointing at her.

Both Mercury and Yang shrugged. Ruby doubted that they cared at all.

"God, they're useless." Emerald decided.

"Then we'll decide their match based on who fell unconscious last. Obviously, this was Yang, making her the winner."

"Hold it, she fell last, but that just means it took slightly longer for her motor functions to cease. Her mind could have gone blank before she even began to fall, whereas Mercury could have fallen asleep after hitting the ground."

Everybody left them to their civil discussion.

Meanwhile, Cinder had questions of her own, specifically for Blake. And now that Ruby was watching Blake and Yang interact, something occurred to her as well.

Ruby and Cinder stood over Blake and Yang together.

"Hey, Sis?" Ruby felt embarrassed about asking this. "Are you and Blake a couple? 'Cause if you are, I'm gonna feel really awkward about coming on to Blake earlier."

Ruby only asked because Yang was putting on more public displays of adoration for Blake than usual.

Yang laughed and squeezed Blake against her.

"Only if she wants us to be a couple. Don't worry, she's not off-limits yet."

Ruby breathed out in relief.

Cinder adopted a sly smile, eyeing Blake.

"Oh, I see how it is, Blake."

Blake, panicked, glanced up at Cinder.

"C-Cinder? What are you saying?"

Cinder toyed with her earring, feigning injury.

"Honestly, did our chance meeting in the closet mean nothing to you? Were you just leading me on?" Cinder's tone smacked of frivolity.

Of course Cinder merely joked around, though Blake failed to see the humour.

"What, but that, that never…" Blake whimpered and found herself unable to control her anguish, eyes scurrying.

Yang, contrastingly, saw plenty of humour. Ruby saw the glint in her eye, though; Yang did well to hide it, but she showed relief, hiding it partially behind Blake's shoulder. It took a mere unrecognisable split second for Yang to continue with a laugh.

"Blake, did you dig your claws in a new lover when I wasn't looking? You sly little minx." Yang cooed into her ear. "I guess this means I have competition. What does it take to win your affection?"

Cinder sat on the bed, near Blake's head, hands in lap.

"Do tell, Blake."

Cinder and Yang fawned over the nervous, squirming Blake.

"Why can't people leave me alone…?" Blake mewled.

"Is she complaining that people like her?" Mercury mumbled to himself.

While this was happening, Weiss and Emerald's discussion escalated to a various degree. Ruby hardly paid attention, but the focus now rested upon outlining the rules for a fencing match. Emerald then declared that they could fight right now using a pair of bones from the model skeleton. Just before they could rip it apart, Mercury stood between them and tried to argue that there was a time and a place for fighting, resulting in even louder protests. During this, Cinder and Yang started openly debating which part of Blake they liked more, making the girl in the middle sink further into the bed as though trying to leave by melding her way out of the room.

Ruby deeply sighed and left.

* * *

What a strange birthday.

By now, the moon had risen, casting away all natural light in the courtyard, last streaks of orange dissipating behind the dormitories. As Ruby entered the open air, there was nothing but darkness for a few moments, until automatic lighting activated. Two lights in all four corners of the square courtyard, followed by a single large lamp becoming active over the fountain, water still churning, beautifully sparkling like a pool of diamonds.

Wind rustled trees, students laughed and talked audibly through open windows in the dormitories, and gravel crunched under Ruby's heels as she walked towards the fountain. All of it was white noise to Ruby; soothing, like rain to an artist or writer, something that could put her in a state of focus.

Ruby sat on the fountain's edge, legs stretched across the surface, staring at stars in the sky.

Today had not felt like her birthday at all. Instead of celebrations and parties with her family and friends, Ruby had regular lessons and a couple of gifts. As an even younger child, she could hardly sleep on the prior night, quivering in anticipation, contemplating the risk of sneaking into the living room of her house and counting her presents. Days long past, Ruby thought. Now? She slept normally, woke up normally, attended classes normally, interacted with her friends normally, and would repeat it all normally, like any other day.

Ruby noticed this last year. Waking up, she secretly wanted her friends to make a big deal of it, as she always did for them. They offered the regular citations of happy birthday, gave their gift (A basket of various candies.), and went on with their day. A far cry from her expectations.

It must have been selfish to expect more, and Ruby knew it. They were in college. They were in their late teenage years. They had become too mature for childish celebrations, and Ruby was forced to accept that birthdays were just another day.

Just like by the end of the school year, Ruby would be forced into the world of adult responsibilities.

The thought crept into her mind again like a poison.

No more waking up to the presence of her friends, in their warm and cozy dormitory. No more wiling the day away on college work before bouncing into her hobbies or horsing around with her friends. No more of her easy and carefree life. And what was it all being replaced with? Ruby had no idea. She had no idea what she wanted to do for a living. She never wanted to think that far.

How did one rent property? How did one pay bills? What about managing expenses, and obtaining basics like heating and internet? Who would she have to talk to? What kind of information would she need on hand? What if she didn't have or know that information? What would happen to her free time? How could she enjoy life with all of these responsibilities?

Ruby had countless more questions clouding her mind. All of them were just roundabout ways of addressing her main fear, mere consequences of the key distress that gripped her heart.

Ruby was scared of leaving her life behind. Leaving behind education, leaving behind her environment, leaving behind everything she knew about living.

The cold hand of fear caressed Ruby's spine, catching her mind in a state of confusion, creating the need to cry as she cracked under the pressure of confronting her incoming future.

Footsteps.

Ruby hurriedly buried her emotions. Nobody needed to see her like this.

Equipping a casual and amicable facial expression, Ruby swivelled from her sitting position. She now faced the person drawing near.

Neo. She still walked in darkness, coming towards the light, but her hair could be recognised anywhere, as well as the graceful air with which she carried herself. Parasol in hand and smile on face, Neo came to a stop in front of Ruby. The fountain's light stretched her shadow across the courtyard.

Both girls stared at each other. Neo gave an amicable wave, which Ruby reciprocated.

Then, an awkward silence.

Ruby tapped her heels together, shifting uncomfortably. Neo twirled her parasol, casting a sideways glance. This scenario played out differently compared to their visit to the bathroom earlier. There was no starting context with which they could have an extended conversation based on lip-reading and gestures.

Ruby chided herself. It would be ludicrous to not speak with Neo just because of a difference in communication methods. She could converse with Neo just like she did with anybody else. The channel of speech simply did not involve their voices, is all.

Ruby rose and raised a finger at Neo, the universal gesture of 'wait here.' Neo complied, confused, as Ruby dashed towards her dormitory.

Within a minute, Ruby returned, holding a pair of small whiteboards, marker pens and cloths. Neo now sat on the fountain edge, and jumped slightly when one of each was thrown into her lap. In that brief instance, Neo's face became unreadable. Was she pleased? Annoyed? Saddened? Ruby failed to decipher her mood.

Regardless, Neo accepted the whiteboard and pen as Ruby sat next to her, on her knees, tips of her shoes dangling over the water. Ruby flicked off her pen lid and caught it again in an unnecessary flourish. Both whiteboards were lined with law notes, having been used by Weiss and Emerald to plan an assignment earlier. They probably weren't important.

Ruby wiped it off and wrote first.

 **'** **I think our friends got off on the wrong foot.'**

With the fountain light behind them, Ruby displayed her whiteboard in a more candid manner than necessary. Neo started writing.

 _'_ _It's not so much getting off on the wrong foot as it was having their legs sawn off and their bodies attached to epileptic dogs at a disco.'_

This was not a sentence Ruby expected to see from Neo. It was made stranger by how Neo kept her regular smiling face in check the entire time she wrote it.

 **'** **I guess? I just hope that they dont try to kill each other or something.'** Ruby replied with a shrug.

 _'_ _On the contrary. If this year doesn't end with at least 1 stabbing, I'll be disappointed.'_

"Um…" Ruby audibly said, taken off-guard.

Neo then burst into laughter, but kept it silent, hands over mouth. This made Ruby feel less awkward, knowing that Neo had only written in jest. Though, for some strange reason, Ruby was ready to believe Neo's statement.

There was something incredibly satisfying to Ruby about this. After a day of being unable to talk directly to Neo, she was now able to find out more about the girl. She just wasn't expecting those lines as Neo's first sentences to her.

 _'_ _I'm kidding. I want 2-'_ Neo suddenly stopped writing and wiped down her white board. _'_ _Now I'm kidding. I'm sure they'll get along just fine in time.'_

From their sitting positions, they could see each other's writing before they actually displayed their boards.

 **'** **At least we can get along.'**

 _'_ _In a sense. May I have the honor of your name?'_ Neo beamed at Ruby. It would seem Cinder and her company did not give the names of Ruby or her friends. Quite an oversight on their part, Ruby thought, mildly annoyed at them.

 **'** **Ruby Rose. Enshantay.'** Ruby tried to write down the French word she heard Cinder use in their Art class in an effort to sound cultured.

Neo's reaction ceased Ruby's thought process.

Up to this point, Neo had quickly read Ruby's sentences, wearing her smile, then immediately wrote her response. But this time, Neo spent almost ten seconds looking at Ruby's name. Her mouth was slightly open. Her hands went limp in her lap. Frosty breath escaped her lips, shivering.

Then Neo started to write, hands shaking, eyes trying to stay focused. A lump slid down her thin throat. Her entire pleasant demeanour had shifted, not into something angry, and not into something sad.

In fact, Ruby could have sworn Neo's atmosphere exhibited fear.

Neo lifted her whiteboard.

 _'_ _That's a very pretty name.'_

Ruby looked from the whiteboard to Neo's face; any trace of her fearful expression vanished, swapped for her typical smile once again. It was as though nothing had ever happened.

How surreal. Ruby knew what she saw, and could not forget it. She contemplated pressing the point, but what if she tread on ground best left untouched? It was definitely Ruby's name that triggered the change, unless she had a fear for immaculate French spelling.

Ruby would just ask Cinder or her friends. There was no point in rocking the boat when they were just getting to know each other. Instead, Ruby just wrote on her whiteboard.

 **'** **Thank you! Neopolitan is a nice name, too.'**

And Neo continued, possibly unaware that she had acted strangely at all.

 _'_ _Enchanté. Is Ruby_ Rose _a common name in England?'_

Ruby blinked. Was there something odd about how that sentence was written? She passed it off as a trick of the light and continued.

 **'** **I dont think so. Besides, I'm American.'**

This visibly surprised Neo, not that Ruby could blame her.

 _'_ _That's unexpected. I would never guess.'_

Very few could guess that Ruby was American. Somebody once predicted Ruby's origins from her voice, but for Neo specifically, she would never be able to hear Ruby's voice, which lacked the distinctive English tone.

 **'** **Almost no one does.'**

Neo was struck with a thought, and wrote like she needed an immediate answer.

 _'_ _Tell me, fellow American. Is it improper of me to use American names for objects while living in England?'_

Neo was American as well? Ruby should have expected that, considering Cinder, Emerald and Mercury all had American accents.

 **'** **I dont know. I can never decide if I want to use American or English terms, like faucet and tap or candy and sweet, or if I should put the u in color, so I keep switching between them.'**

 _'_ _I see. I suspect I'll end up with the same indecisiveness._

 _'_ _If I'm not prying too much, can I ask why you reside in England?'_

Ruby nodded. She had no problems in talking about it.

 **'** **My mom died when I was 8. I had to move to England and live with my dad and sister.'**

Neo danced her pen across her whiteboard.

o(╥﹏╥)o

Was it necessary for Neo to scribble an emoji? Not at all, considering Neo was generally rather expressive in terms of her outward appearance. This must have been more of Neo's odd and varied kind of humour.

And it worked. Ruby giggled, not that she intended to hide it.

 **'** **Its fine. Im not sad anymore.'**

Ruby had no issue with discussing her mother, but others generally felt uncomfortable about discussing somebody else's dead relatives. That being thought, Ruby wanted to explore a topic surrounding Neo and her friends.

 **'** **Your friends are American too, right?'**

 _'_ _That's right. Did they tell you?'_

 **'** **No. I just knew from their voices.'**

Ruby wondered if it was politically correct to talk about voices to a deaf person, but Neo continued without hesitation.

 _'_ _You might be wondering if there's something weird about us. Four new students, all of whom are American, coming to an English college, and they are all friends as well.'_

 **'** **It doesnt happen very often.'**

Ruby certainly wondered what kind of explanation could exist. Whatever it was, Neo gave it with a steady hand.

 _'_ _First of all, we were all raised in the same orphanage. We've been friends our entire lives.'_

This escalated quickly. And just as Ruby thought that Neo might not be comfortable in discussing dead relatives, Ruby now struggled to decide if she should drop the topic. She had no choice in the matter, as Neo wiped down her board and proceeded.

 _'_ _Without going into details, the four of us agreed on a goal to work towards, together. In order to accomplish this goal, we need certain qualifications, hence us coming to college.'_

 **'** **Why did it have to be an English college?'**

 _'_ _It didn't. We just wanted to leave America. Too many bad memories.'_

Ruby felt conflicted. Never before had she wanted to pry so badly, yet knew that she should respect Neo's privacy. She stared at Neo's whiteboard, thinking. Without realising it, Neo was writing again.

 _'_ _Want to know more?'_

Neo had practically read her mind. It was almost scary. Either Ruby could be read like an open book, or Neo was frighteningly perceptive, and Ruby did not know which she preferred. She decided to believe it was the latter.

 **'** **Ive just got 2 questions.'**

Ruby decided to reach the middle ground of her protecting Neo's privacy and satisfying her curiosity. Two simple questions would be enough.

 **'** **How did you move to England? Did you apply to Beacon while you still lived in America, and Ozpin accepted you and moved you over here?'**

 _'_ _Not quite. The order was different.'_

 **'** **?'**

 _'_ _We moved to England first, before we applied to Beacon.'_

 **'** **How could 4 teenage orphans just move into a new country like that?'**

Ruby pondered that her choice of words was not exactly tactful, but Neo took no offence.

 _'_ _Cinder.'_

The single name was all the response that Ruby needed. She had forgotten that Cinder was considered a writing genius, somebody who had accumulated legions of fans with her works of fiction. Neo must have implied that Cinder's success as a writer allowed them the funds they needed to move to England, to say the least of the amount of money that Cinder probably owns.

Ruby was about to respond, but Neo raised a finger, thinking to herself. She then wrote.

 _'_ _I should explain a bit more._

 _'_ _A couple of years ago, me, Em and Merc were sitting in our orphanage's front room, talking about which college we should attend. We already decided to continue with our education. We had to if we wanted to achieve our aims.'_

Neo wiped down the whiteboard, with it being too small for the whole explanation.

 _'_ _We weren't entirely sure of where to go. Wherever it was, we wanted to be together. Splitting up there and then was a last resort._

 _'_ _At that point, Cinder walked in, standing in the doorway, wind flapping at her clothes, with an announcement. She had become a published writer. This was quite a surprise to us.'_

Another wipe.

 _'_ _We had no idea that Cinder had an interest in writing, let alone that she had been writing a book at all. Nobody said anything. We were all shocked. Her declaration came out of nowhere._

 _'_ _We asked her where this all came from. She never answered in a proper fashion. Instead, she just said 'Get ready to leave this hellhole within the month.' Cinder already had an advance payment from her publisher.'_

How interesting that this was Cinder's first thought. Were their lives in America that bad for them? Maybe this was Cinder's motivation for becoming a writer, and not telling her friends about it; if Cinder succeeded, she could take care of her friends. If Cinder failed to become successful, her friends would be crushed.

 **'** **You said you wanted to leave because of bad memories right?'**

Ruby wanted to explore this some more, but Neo internally debated expanding on their past lives. The smaller girl started to write something, but immediately wiped it away. She repeated this process twice, able to hide inner anguish, but could not repeal her false starts from Ruby's eyes. Eventually, Ruby made a quick statement.

 **'** **You dont have to explain that.'**

Neo nodded.

 _'_ _I'd_ _like to keep it that way.'_ If such a sentence was verbalised, the speaker may have carried some venom in their tone. As such, Ruby would never know if Neo wrote this spitefully, too. Neo seemed as pleasant as always, not dropping her casual smile.

 _'_ _Anyway, at that time, Cinder declared that her name had changed to, well, Cinder. We did_ _n't __question it. We owed her too much to question anything._

 _'_ _The rest is nothing special. We moved to England, found a college that accepted all four of us, and spent a year there. We left that college after the first year because Mercury got into some trouble and was kicked out.'_ Neo squeezed the letters into place.

 **'** **Then you got accepted into Beacon.'**

 _'_ _Correct. This is the ultra simplified version of our little tale.'_

What exactly could Ruby say to this? They had lived very different kinds of lives, yet ended up talking together in the same college in a country in which neither had been born. Life could be odd, sometimes.

Something else that bore in Ruby's mind involved their motivation to leave America. If their place of origin was an awful place to live, could they not just leave their state? Why leave America entirely? Then again, Ruby hardly knew what was entailed by 'bad memories.' Everybody placed different values and meanings on different things. If Neo and her friends' experiences as children were horrific, Ruby was in no position to question their actions.

Even with this in mind, Ruby had to wonder why they wanted to attend college. She thought of this earlier, after seeing Cinder for the first time. If Cinder is a renowned writer, why would she need to attend college? Being famous and with three books under her belt, she could probably afford to take care of herself and her three friends for life.

Ruby failed to notice that she was staring straight at Neo while thinking. Her cheeks flushed red upon realising that Neo was staring back. She hated these kind of awkward moments, but had to admit, Neo was certainly a very captivating girl.

 _'_ _I ca_ _n't_ _blame you for staring.'_ Neo wrote and winked.

Ruby's shaky laughter tumbled out as she meekly shuffled in her seat, looking as cute as possible. Moments when other people flirted with Ruby were non-existent. She enjoyed delivering one-sided romantic implications unto others, but when others reciprocated, she always made it a point to showcase her adorability, aware that it was her greatest asset. It worked on Velvet in the past, and it could work now.

Her lovable charm did indeed work on Neo, as the smaller girl audibly giggled, resembling a mouse squeak. This may have been involuntary, as Ruby noticed that Neo put effort into hiding noises.

 _'_ _You had a second question for me?'_

Neo brought them back on topic. Ruby almost forgot her question.

 **'** **You said that you and your friends have a goal, and you wanted to do it together. What is it?'**

The odds were high that their goal related to them coming to college.

Neo did not respond instantly. She scribbled.

 _'_ _I_ _t's_ _a secret!'_

Neo then playfully tapped Ruby on the nose, as though scorning a pet. Neo may have said that it was a secret, but in a toying sense, lacking seriousness. She treated this 'secret' as a joke, a carrot she could use to tease Ruby.

Ruby adopted her saddest expression, eyes large and watery, lips pouted, and leaned in on Neo. She would have made a whining noise, too, for anybody else. Weaponizing her cuteness, Ruby enacted operation 'guilt-trip.' Bombard the target with hurt looks and lovability until success is achieved. The prize, Neo giving up her secret. Up to this evening, Ruby had only ever performed this on Weiss, Blake, Yang, and Velvet, so this was a new experience.

Ruby put her hands on either side of Neo, on the surface behind her, and almost pressed their noses together. Neo did not back down, staring Ruby directly in her large eyes. The next phase occurred. Ruby hands 'slipped' and she fell forwards, directly into Neo with an ineffectual whimper.

"Eh…?" Neo had been taken by surprise, sharply respiring. This forced them into physical contact, with Neo falling backwards across the fountain's surface, holding Ruby on top of her in both arms.

They both lay still for a moment. Ruby physically shivered, putting on a pretence of vulnerability, as she buried her face in Neo's shoulder. Ruby loved this part, forcing the target into cuddling her and sharing in each other's warmth. She let a few seconds pass before raising her head, looking up into Neo's worried eyes once more. This time, Ruby let a tear fall, the finishing blow of her manoeuvre. She always felt her target hold her more tightly at this stage, whether they noticed it or not, and Neo was no exception.

However, Neo managed to resist for a moment, a first for the technique. She closed her eyes and tilted her head away. It then occurred to Ruby just how dangerous this could be if pressed further; Neo could throw Ruby into the fountain and call it a day. But she had come too far to give up. Time to improvise.

Ruby pawed at Neo's shoulder, like a kitten trying to gain its owner's attention. She also placed a leg over Neo's own and huddled closer, snuggling into her grasp, pressuring her with as much physical contact as possible. Fortunately, nobody ever walked across the courtyard at this time of night, so nobody would question their display.

At no point throughout this did Neo lose her smile, like it was fixed to her face. Rather impressive, Ruby supposed. Everybody else she did this to always started sweating nervously.

Neo opened her eyes again when Ruby touched her shoulder, and accidentally gazed into Ruby's hypnotic eyes. This broke her once and for all. Neo's eyes rolled and she silently chuckled.

A slyly amused Neo pushed a pleased Ruby off of her and they both sat upright.

 _'_ _Dammit, why are you so cute!? You look like a puppy I stood on once!'_

(｡'‿'｡)

Neo looked to be a cross between vexed and content, like somebody who refused to admit they enjoyed themselves after an embarrassing event.

 **'** **So youll tell me what you guys want to do?'**

 _'_ _Nope. Just a hint.'_

Ruby could hardly complain, considering that Neo had no need to tell her anything.

 _'_ _Me, Em, Merc and Cinder are all studying specific subjects. W_ _e'l_ _l almost certainly go to university after college to continue these studies, because we need particular knowledge for our goal.'_

This told Ruby so much, yet so little. How could she make a calculated guess from such limited knowledge? Ruby puffed her cheeks and glared at Neo.

 **'** **What? I dont know what you all study!'**

Neo calmly rocked back and forth.

 _'_ _I guess yo_ _u'r_ _e going to have to hang around me and my friends to find out.'_

How deceptively devilish. Neo hung the fruit over her, leading her into further friendship.

At the same time, how pointlessly silly.

 **'** **I wanted to do that anyway. You dont have to lead me on. Were going to be friends anyway, whether you like it or not. Though I think youd like it.'**

It would have been a good time for a written smiley face, if Ruby had not already presented her whiteboard. She settled for an actual smile.

 _'_ _You sweet talker. W_ _e'l_ _l get along like horrific pain and popcorn.'_

More of her strange humour. Ruby hoped so, at any rate.

They breathed out, and moved next to each other on the fountain, still cross-legged. Ruby felt a cramp in her knees, and stretched out her legs, hearing a crack. Neo gazed upwards, taking in her surroundings, slowly turning her head around the sparsely lit courtyard. Having been in Beacon for only a day, Neo likely still had a poor grasp on the layout. In Ruby's mind, it would be a good excuse to take her around the college tomorrow.

Neo then perked her head up, as if reminded of something. She scribbled away.

 _'_ _Did Cinder tell you I was deaf? Or did you notice at some point?'_

Ruby thought back. She had no grand revelation, per se, she just misunderstood Neo and her supposed lack of attention for a while.

 **'** **I just puzzled it out eventually. Cinder didnt tell you my name earlier, did she? She left quite a lot out of our introduction.'**

At this, Neo visibly winced.

Ruby panicked that she said something wrong. Looking at her whiteboard again and checking her statement, there was nothing egregious written on it.

Neo, frustrated, slashed at her own whiteboard.

 _'_ _Oh my God.'_

Ruby wasn't sure of what to say.

 **'** **Whats up?'**

 _'_ _Yo_ _u'r_ _e doing that on purpose, right?'_

 **'** **Im not doing anything.'**

 ** _'_** _You have to be._ _You're __not stupid enough to miss the hints_ _I'm __giving.'_

 **'** **Im seriously stupid enough to not get what youre saying.'**

What followed was not raging anger, but more akin to overblown irritation. Neo seemed to lack the capacity for true fury, unintentionally striking Ruby as sweet as she jumped up, eyes as slits.

 _'_ _USE YOUR FLIPPING APOSTROPHES!'_

┻━┻ ︵ヽ(`Д´)ﾉ︵ ┻━┻

Ruby could feel the aggravation behind every stroke of the emoji.

She didn't even notice her lack of apostrophes. Was it really that annoying? Ruby audibly stammered out an 'oh.'

 **'** **Oops.'** Ruby had nothing to offer Neo other than her normal cute demeanour. She hoped it would be enough to seduce Neo into not being too annoyed. Of course, Neo was not really annoyed, evidenced by the time she took on the emoji and her ever playful attitude.

 _'_ _Honestly. How do you plan on impressing a classy lady like me with such sloppy punctuation?'_

Neo entwined her legs while standing in front of the sitting Ruby, at home in giving herself compliments.

 **'** **Please, you don't know that I'm trying to impress girls at all.'**

 _'_ _? You like/are attracted to girls too, aren't you?'_

Ruby had no intention to deny her sexuality, but wanted to know how Neo could be so certain of herself.

 **'** **You can't know that for sure.'**

Neo then lazily raised an eyebrow, as if to say 'seriously?'

 _'_ _I saw the way you hugged your black haired friend earlier. You don't hug somebody like that unless they're your girlfriend, or she was about to die unless she was nuzzled like a girl next door in a lesbian porn movie._

 _'_ _Also, the way you manipulated me into telling you about my friends' aim was strangely physical in nature.'_

Ruby chortled and rubbed the back of her head.

 **'** **You caught me rose handed. Yup, I am indeed gay.'**

 _'_ _Shocking.'_ Neo pursed her lips in sarcasm.

 _'_ _I'm glad I didn't get the wrong idea. Here's to belonging to the 4%! Like almost everybody we know in a strange and convenient twist of fate!'_

For lack of glasses to clink, they gave each other a high five.

Neo pondered something, still standing before Ruby. A minute passed before she removed the finger from her chin, twirling her pen.

 _'_ _What were we talking about again? Your crappy punctuation distracted me.'_

Ruby needed to think first. She recalled the sentence that triggered Neo's obsession with perfect punctuation.

 **'** **You being deaf. Cinder never told me about it, I just noticed as the day went on.'**

 _'_ _Ah, that's right. Yes, Cinder is far from the most considerate person on Earth. Don't tell her I said that, though, she really is quite nice.'_

Ruby was not about to doubt that. She remembered Cinder's remorseful expression in their class. She also remembered causing the black streaks on Neo's uniform.

 **'** **I forgot to tell you. Sorry about your work and uniform.'** Ruby looked genuinely sorry instead of showcasing her cute appearance.

 _'_ _Don't worry about the uniform. It was just a happy little accident, in case nobody made a Bob Ross joke yet. We can attribute this to Cinder being careless with her chair._

 _'_ _But my work and books? Yeah, you're going to pay for setting me back a morning's worth of work.'_

Neo glared at her, malevolence in her eyes. All of a sudden, Neo would not be out of place with a white cat and an evil, if silent, laugh.

 **'** **Okay. I can pay for it all.'** Ruby hurriedly wrote, welling up with bad feelings.

 _'_ _Damn straight. But how, oh how, will I decide on your method of retribution?'_

Ruby could think of a pleasant way of paying her back. At this point, a date would be acceptable, she supposed. However, Neo seemed to be thinking in terms not related to money. She wanted entertainment.

This struck a fearful cord in Ruby. Neo's desire for entertainment could entail anything.

 **'** **Go easy on me. Just do whatever makes us even.'**

 _'_ _Funny. When we were thirteen, Mercury dropped our shared phone in a river. He said the exact same thing as you.'_

 **'** **What did you do to him then?'**

 _'_ _I pushed him in the river, too.'_

"Oh no…"

At this particular moment, Ruby knew exactly what was about to happen. She tried to scrawl 'Wait, was everything in your bag worth as much as that phone?' She barely succeeded in passing 'wait.' Besides, was Neo going to care?

Grunting, Neo shoved Ruby in the fountain. There was no opportunity for resistance as Ruby dropped with a heavy splash, overcome in freezing water that stole her breath. Droplets scattered in a wide, long arc when Ruby connected, back first, with the fountain's bottom, the structure being thankfully shallow. Her face contorted in a loud squeal, cut off when her head was submerged for a second.

Coughing out water, Ruby shot up into a sitting position, the water around her elbow. She brought her arms around her chest, shivering.

"You maniac!" Ruby verbalised her current thoughts. Neo understood enough, and promptly laughed in silence while hunched, like any good sociopath would.

 _'_ _The pervy jokes I can make here are ENDLESS!'_ Neo wrote in shaky, laugh induced strokes.

Ruby glared at Neo, trembling in the cold water and dripping wet. Her hair clung to her face, and her uniform soaked through in an instant. Was potential pneumonia meant to be Neo's answer to any of her belongings being destroyed? Or just a single technique in her library of torture methods?

After Neo's laughing fit was over, the smaller girl stepped forward and extended an arm towards Ruby.

Ruby carefully considered her options. This morning, Ruby saved Neo from falling into this fountain when she jumped back in surprise. Granted, Ruby was the cause of that surprise, but she helped Neo nonetheless. In a way, they were already even for Neo's bag being destroyed. And yet, she had seen fit to shove Ruby in the fountain without due consideration of this-

-Ruby stopped thinking. She just wanted an excuse to throw Neo in the fountain, too, like it was needed at this point. Two wrongs could probably make a right if you crammed them together hard enough.

Grabbing Neo's arm, she hauled the girl forward, making her trip over the fountain's edge.

"Ah!" Neo involuntarily and piercingly squawked.

It was every bit as satisfying as Ruby hoped. Neo flopped face first, drenching herself and splashing Ruby in a loud drop, before flipping around, arms flailing. She jumped upright, arms close, unsteadily breathing out through her mouth. Rivulets of water fell from her hair and face. Her clothes now matched Ruby's in terms of being drenched, bar the fact that Neo did not wear leggings.

They both sat in the water, shivering uncontrollably. Neo looked completely stunned. She had not expected this turn of events.

Ruby grabbed a whiteboard and pen that fell on the edge.

 **'** **I found a way to pay you back. I saved you money on your cleaning bill!'**

Not that the water had any effect on Neo's black paint stain, but it was rather moot.

Neo kept a straight face as she took the other whiteboard. Her hands shook, either from anger or the cold.

 _'_ _Ruby, what you just did was completely out of line and unfathomably twisted._

 _'_ _It was awesome and you're hanging out with me every day from now on.'_

ヘ(^_^ヘ)

They giggled to themselves. It had been too long since Ruby had made a new friend so easily, let alone was able to do something like drop them into a fountain without them getting angry.

 **'** **Of course I will. And I swear its not just because youre pretty.'**

For some reason, Neo kicked water at and flinched her, but returned a grin.

 _'_ _Riiiiiight. Don't forget that we might need to stop our friends from killing each other. That being said,_ _it'll_ _be fun to watch if it happened.'_

Ruby and Neo clambered out of the fountain, quaking in their soaked clothes. They probably could have done so earlier, but the damage was already done.

Inundated with water and moonlight, they stood before one another. By now, the sounds of students in their dormitories had long ceased, suggesting that it had become late. For all they knew, their friends were already back at their dormitories. Or already dead, in which case, Neo would be disappointed.

The light winds did little to dry their clothes, and simply added to the chills shooting through them. Time to separate and call it a night.

Neo had one last thing to say.

 _'_ _Are you feeling better now?'_

Ruby had to blink twice. What was Neo referring to?

 **'** **?'**

Neo shrugged.

 _'_ _Never mind.'_

Odd. Ruby passed it off as nothing.

 **'** **Time to say goodnight. Where does the time go?'**

 _'_ _I don't know, Ruby_ Rose. _But I'm glad that it's carrying us into a new day full of adventures.'_

There was something strange in Neo's writing. Ruby had to blink to make sure she wasn't hallucinating from the cold. After double checking, something was definitely wrong.

This entire time, Neo had used slanted, neat and affable handwriting, but the way she wrote 'Rose' broke this trend. It was unnaturally straight, almost tensely written, as though Neo had clenched her hand around the pen for this single noun.

Ruby recalled her reaction to reading 'Ruby Rose' earlier. The abject instance of fear that became apparent on Neo's countenance for mere seconds was still fresh in Ruby's mind. All she could think of was that Neo had a bad experience with somebody else bearing the same last name, who happened to not be a part of Ruby's family. That was the hope, anyway. If Neo had nothing to say about the name Rose, directly to Ruby, then it couldn't have been relevant.

But could life ever be that simple?

Ruby needed to respond.

 **'** **Yeah. I'll take you around the college tomorrow.'**

 _'_ _It's a date. Figuratively.'_ Neo beamed.

 _'_ _Goodnight, Ruby.'_

 **'** **Goodnight, Neo.'**

Neo took up her parasol and walked backwards for the first few steps, waving, before turning around, taking the whiteboard with her. She had to stop to avoid a tree she failed to notice, and turn left. After a moment, she realised she was walking the wrong way and went right. She would _probably_ find her dormitory block at some point tonight.

Watching Neo leave, Ruby breathed out.

There were terrible ways to start a new year in education, but today was not one of them. In fact, in spite of every mishap, spillage and unconscious person, today had been a good day. And with somebody like Neo around, they would only get more interesting.

Coughing out one last puddle of water and dripping more behind her, Ruby strolled to her dormitory to bring her first day of her last year of college to an end.

* * *

A/N- I made a Donald Trump joke. AM I COOL YET?

Anyways, I'm kickstarting this fanfiction with an egregiously long opening chapter. I'm afraid to say that future chapters aren't going to be as big as Mr. T's gold collection.


	2. Day 2

**Day 2**

Ruby sneezed.

Frustrating. This was Ruby's first thought when she realised that horsing around in the fountain with Neo resulted in more than a chill. She woke up drenched in cold sweat, with her head pounding and eyes heavy. The act of simply flipping over to face the other side of her bed turned into a struggle, as whatever energy she could muster went into keeping awake. Ruby wanted nothing more than to fall back to sleep.

And it became worse when she tried to sit up. Only when doing so did Ruby find that her entire body was shaking against her will. Upon trying to push herself up, she promptly collapsed back onto her pillow, groaning, the small action resulting in her brain rattling like a magic eight-ball. And when somebody, she thought Yang, climbed up and asked her what was wrong, Ruby hoarsely responded with 'Outlook not so good.'

This led to the present. Ruby sat on her bed, wearing her pyjamas and wrapped in white blankets, shivering and holding a glass of water containing soluble tablets. Her three roommates were all below her, dressed in their uniforms and getting ready for their day at college.

The particular reason for Ruby's sickness being so infuriating is that it meant she would be unable to take Neo on a tour around the college. In fact, unless Neo came to visit, she would be unable to see her new friend at all today. Not a desirable way to begin a fresh friendship. And, of course, missing classes so early in the new college year may have been looked down upon by professors, not that Ruby could help being ill. Or care.

Yang climbed on to her bed and pressed a hand against Ruby's forehead.

"Yeesh." Yang quickly retracted her hand, worried. "Yup, you're not going anywhere for a while."

Ruby groaned for the second time that morning. She already knew that spending the day or tomorrow outside of her dormitory would be all but impossible, but hearing it from her sister hardly made it easier to accept.

Yang quickly ducked away when Ruby sneezed again, avoiding a spray of mucus. She nearly tripped on a box containing some of Ruby's belongings, rattling their contents.

Their dormitory's state had not improved since yesterday. Its white, spotless walls could give the illusion of cleanliness only at a glance. Cardboard boxes, most of which were labelled 'Ruby' or 'Yang,' lay strewn across the room. Their beds also had not been amended, still suspended via ropes and stacked books. Fortunately, the sisters had no qualms with sleeping in these contraptions. The same could not be said for Blake and Weiss.

They kept the crimson curtains closed for Ruby's benefit, shrouding their dormitory in dimness. Some light peeked through the curtains, but being autumn, it barely held enough brightness to illuminate the room. A white radiator near the door surged with heat, turning the room more humid than most would desire, visibly affecting Blake who wiped away a bead of sweat.

It could hardly be seen from Ruby's position, but a kitchenette sat behind her bed, equipped with a small, polished table and a variety of small appliances, the area not being big enough to house large equipment. Mainly themed white and red, the kitchenette was neater than it had any right to be when compared to the rest of the room, ingredients stocked and organised in glass cabinets or the refrigerator . It held no clues that Ruby was generally its main occupant.

Striding by the cabinets under the large, closed off window, Weiss stood below Ruby, arms crossed. Her white hair contrasted against the dark floor.

"Ruby, what exactly were you doing last night?" Weiss fretfully asked.

"Just talking with Neo. Why?" Ruby coarsely spoke.

"Because, unless a heavy rainstorm congregated directly above you two and nowhere else in Beacon, there is no reason for your uniform to be completely drenched."

To prove her point, Weiss reached for their basket of dirty clothes under her painting of a red forest and retrieved Ruby's shirt. It was still damp.

In another mindset, Ruby would take this opportunity to make a dirty joke, but try as she might to collect her thoughts, she just failed to connect the words. Something about the shirt being wet? And Weiss being concerned about it? There was potential, but Ruby could do nothing with it in this state.

"We ended up in the fountain. Don't ask." Ruby lazily explained. Weiss dropped the shirt and turned.

"Maybe it's for the best that I don't. So long as your strange actions are being directed to somebody who isn't me, I won't be concerned." Weiss wiped down her hands.

"I have to concur." Blake stated, sitting on her own bed and reading Cinder's book, I May Fall. "But at the very least, Ruby, whatever those strange actions may be in the future, try and stay healthy."

"You _do_ care about me, Blake." Ruby fully intended to sound more upbeat, but gave up mid-sentence. She sneezed again and wrapped the blankets tighter.

Yang jumped to the foot of Ruby's bed, putting an arm around her sister.

"So, you've got a new lady friend, eh?" Yang chuckled.

Ruby wanted to shake off Yang's playful embrace. Having realised that she lacked the energy to properly tease Blake, Ruby started to fall into something of a bad mood. Nevertheless, she wanted to be amicable to her friends and sister.

A bell rang throughout the dormitory, signalling the start of the college day. Some might consider this the perfect excuse to end a conversation, but Ruby continued, having nothing to hide or be nervous about.

"Yeah. Neo's pretty swell." Ruby plainly said, as the bell ended. Only Weiss got ready to leave.

"She's deaf, right?" Yang asked. "We saw her signing yesterday."

"She is, but we talked on whiteboards." Ruby stated in case Yang was actually inquiring into how they could communicate. Nobody in the room understood sign language.

"Fair enough." Yang said. "Just remember that it'll take her a few seconds longer to reject your advances and attempts at physical contact."

Yang smirked with narrowed eyes at Ruby.

"What kind of failed Romeo do you take me for?" Ruby shoved Yang off the bed, letting her fall face first on the floor. "I'll have you know that she _liked_ those attempts at physical contact."

Blake rose from her bed as Yang stood. Weiss quickly adjusted her painting as it shook from Yang's impact.

"In that case," Blake started, "does that mean you'll stop being so frisky with me? You know, seeing as you have another pure, innocent girl to ruin?" Blake teetered on fluttering her eyelashes with joy.

"I will." Ruby conceded and sneered. "Because Yang and Cinder are going to ruin you in my place."

With no warning, Yang slung Blake over her shoulder. Blake yelped, eyes wide, and flailed helplessly, pulling down her skirt. Yang held her with a single arm, controlling the struggling girl.

"No, why!?" Blake whined into Yang's back. "I was almost free…"

"Aw, stop complaining." Yang picked up her bag with her free hand. "At least you get company. Ruby's spending the day alone."

"Brag about it, I'd love to be in your position right now." Ruby pouted, watching the besieged Blake as she pushed against Yang.

"Perverts, all of you…" Weiss left the room first, without saying goodbye. A cold gust blew into the room as she opened the door, combating the heat.

"Me, too?" Blake tried to call out to Weiss. "But I, I don't want to be fondled all the time…" Her voice became a whisper as she started to sound uncertain of herself.

"Peace out, Rubes." Yang cheerfully waved a goodbye with the bag-holding hand. "I'll try and pick your work up for you, maybe. Actually, don't count on it."

Yang closed the door, Blake still subdued. With that, Ruby was alone.

* * *

Ruby fell back on her bed, staring at the ceiling.

Bored. She should get some sleep and rest, but she was not one for sleeping during the day. She thought of it as a waste of time. Why sleep when you can do something productive? Unfortunately, there was nothing productive to do, and even if there was, Ruby could barely focus properly. Quite an annoying predicament.

Maybe it didn't have to be productive. She contemplated reading Blake's copy of Cinder's book, but when she rose to check Blake's bed, it was nowhere in sight. Maybe she could play on the handheld game console hidden under Weiss' bed. Vita means life, and Ruby could use some right now.

She turned on her side, head to pillow. Sleeping was probably for the best. No good could come from forcing herself awake when her body called for rest.

However, there happened to be one thing that surfaced in Ruby's mind. She knew how a few minutes could be spent before sleeping.

Ruby managed to get up again, then swung her feet over the bed's edge. Temporarily abandoning the comfort of her blankets, she jumped down, ignoring her body's cry for warmth. Her unsteady feet silently crunched the rug's bristles as she walked across the room. The dormitory was eerily quiet without somebody to talk to.

In the corner of the dormitory, among the pile of cardboard boxes, one box stood on top. It had been labelled with Ruby's name, and unlike her other boxes, she treated this one with extreme care. The outside lid had been wrapped in two layers of scotch tape, and she knew the inside was lined with bubble wrap to keep its contents safe. Her other roommates knew the importance of this single box to Ruby; so much so, she felt guilty about taking this long to open it.

Cuboid, small, and lightweight. Even so, Ruby gripped the box from both ends as though her life depended on its safety. She started to take it over to her bed, pretending that her sickness induced vertigo was all in her head.

A knock on the door nearly made her drop the box, making her panic for a split second. Breathing in, she placed it on her bed first.

How curious to receive a visitor right now. The school day had only just started. Everybody right now should have assumed that every student left their dormitory to attend class, so there was no reason for somebody to be here.

Ruby felt subconscious about answering the door to a potential stranger while only wearing her tank top and pyjama pants, but she wasn't going to waste time getting dressed only to change back when they were gone. Shrugging, Ruby approached her door and opened it with a creak.

Neo stood in the doorway, wrapped in pink blankets.

Ruby blinked twice. Neo silently sneezed towards the ground before looking back up at Ruby. Her pink eyes were only half-open, eyelids clearly heavy with tiredness, accompanying her pink and twitching nose. Her normally beautiful hair turned into a mess, pink and brown strands combining across her face, frayed and unkempt. Some hair spread over the white and pink blankets, which covered her from head to toe.

Ruby should have expected this, in hindsight. Not that she believed in karma or anything like that, but if Ruby got sick from being pushed in the water, then Neo absolutely deserved the same sentence. It took Ruby all of her restraint to not laugh at Neo.

Only a few seconds went by before Neo made the first move. From within her blankets, she pulled out a whiteboard, which she had written on in advance.

 _'_ _I'm cold and I'm lonely._

 _'_ _Hug me.'_

ヽ(´▽｀)ノ

* * *

Two minutes later, Neo ended up on Ruby's bed. It was not as exciting as Ruby envisioned.

Ruby walked from the bathroom to the bed, carrying two glasses of water. She was glad that she wouldn't have to move anymore after this, as every step brought about dizziness. Neo waited patiently next to Ruby's box and bundle of blankets, arms over her own. As she came near, Neo accepted the glass with a nod.

Ruby practically jumped into her welcoming blankets, letting herself be enveloped in warmth that would be unbearable for anybody else, but just right for her. Both girls now sat, facing each other on the bed.

Before they could start to converse, Ruby took this time to examine her acquaintance. In her position, and in her crumpled blankets, more of Neo's clothing was now visible. She could see the top of a white, buttoned pyjama shirt, open enough to display Neo's pale collarbone. To match, Neo's bottom half consisted of white pyjama pants, ending at her bare feet, toenails painted pink. Neo perched with her legs angled to the side, sticking out from the blankets.

Something that struck Ruby was Neo's eye colour. pink? She could have sworn they were brown yesterday.

Neo sipped her water, and rested it on the back of her knees. She then took her whiteboard and marker pen in hand.

 _'_ _I completely blame you for us getting sick.'_

Ruby pouted and stared into her ever-smiling face.

 **'** **What the fudge? You started it by pushing me!'**

Neo tapped her chin, as if contemplating how far she could push the blame for their illnesses.

 _'Never mind, we'll call it 50-50.'_

Ruby figured that this wasn't worth arguing over. She still blamed Neo, though.

 **'** **Fine.**

 **'** **I wasnt expecting company today. How did you know I was sick, too?'**

 _'_ _I_ _ **DIDN'T.**_ _I just hoped you had fallen sick and were in pain, so I dropped by, after Emerald told me where to find this dorm. I would have been disappointed if you weren't in, though. That would mean you're healthy.'_

Oh, right, apostrophes. Ruby forgot. Neo tilted her head and smirked when she saw Ruby's realisation. Also, this thought didn't quite distract Ruby from Neo's desire to see her sick.

 **'** **Are you saying that you wanted to see me like this? Sweating, shivering, pale?'**

Neo quietly chuckled, then ended up sneezing again. Ruby briefly wondered why Neo's sneezes were silent. She very rarely made audible involuntary noises, and Ruby expected a sneeze to be one of them. She made a mental reminder to ask later, or just Google it.

 _'_ _Of course I did. If you weren't ill, how would get to spend time together right now?'_

Well… that was almost nice of Neo to say, Ruby thought.

 **'** **I don't know if I should be flattered or worried by that.'**

 _'_ _If you're not sure, just be both. Besides, are you going to complain about getting to spend time with lil ol' me?'_

 **'** **Absolutely not.'** Ruby conceded.

Neo was the unexpected silver lining of being cooped up indoors. Ruby failed to express this so far, but she was incredibly glad for the company. Nothing was worse than being alone when sick, and having somebody else by her side filled Ruby with giddy glee, although she couldn't comprehend Neo's desire for others to be sick to gain this.

 **'** **I'm really happy you're here.'** Ruby put it as simply as possible. She added a smile.

Neo might have been surprised by Ruby's humble statement. She took several seconds to look at her whiteboard, unsure of how to respond. Her own smile turned more solemn, losing the brighter pretence it usually carried.

 _'_ _I'm happy you're here, too._

 _'_ _I hate being alone.'_

Neo's pink eyes softened when she wrote this. It was genuine. No jokes or emojis. Ruby couldn't help but wonder what lent power to these two sentences. She thought that this was something not to be expanded upon for fear of prying, but Neo already continued.

 _'_ _It's nihilistic to me. Unfortunately, I haven't known Em, Merc and Cinder all my life, you know. I was at our orphanage before them._

 _'_ _If you turned me away at the door, it would've been depressing, to say the least.'_

Ruby noted how Neo combined describing loneliness in both a physical and metaphorical sense. She could have been literally alone today, and in the past, she was lonely in the sense of seemingly having nobody to speak to. If Neo was turned away, she could have taken it to mean that Ruby had no interest in her friendship.

It was an underlying fear that Neo displayed more often than she might have realised; last night, she tried to tease Ruby into becoming her friend with the mystery surrounding her and her friends' goal.

 **'** **Have you ever had friends other than Emerald, Mercury and Cinder?'** Ruby lifted her whiteboard, keeping a straight yet amicable face.

 _'_ _Acquaintances, maybe. Friends, not really.'_ Neo responded quickly, deciding that she had nothing to hide, her face also straight.

It was something that beggared belief in Ruby's mind. For some reason, based on their meetings yesterday, Ruby assumed Neo to be quite popular. Maybe what she was about to think was just complete ignorance, but was Neo's deafness the cause? She did not want to make assumptions, but Neo happened to be a cheerful (and sometimes weird,) girl who had no problems in terms of actually socialising; perhaps other people just disliked going out of their way to speak with her.

But Ruby knew nothing about living with deafness, and she feared that bringing it up in regards to Neo's lack of friends was nothing short of a faux pax. In inference, it could have been ridiculous to immediately assume that her deafness was to blame, just because it was so apparent. Whatever was Neo's reason for only having three friends in her life, it was something she could talk about in her own time.

 **'** **What are you talking about? You have another friend now, don't you?'** Ruby beamed.

Neo blinked, staggered. She had forgotten that she preferred making such forward statements, too. Her solemn demeanour drained away over the next five seconds, giving way to a smile.

 _'_ _Oops, my mistake. You're so small that I missed you on my mental head count.'_

Back to silliness, Ruby supposed. She sighed.

 **'** **I'm small? Are you even over 5'?'**

Neo paused.

 _'_ _This isn't about me.'_ She pursed her lips.

It occurred to Ruby that it may have been fitting to talk about herself after Neo allowed a peek into her own heart, but the moment had passed. Besides, Neo had clearly decided to break away from the topic. It didn't last long at all.

Both girls lay back on the bed for a minute, opposite each other, their blankets entwined. They finished their water in the interim, putting the glasses on the floor. Sometimes, they sniffed or shifted. Ruby never considered the possibility of being comfortable with somebody in silence, but to the contrary, she rather enjoyed it. They liked each other's company, they were warm, and in these shadowy confines, they were away from the eyes and pressures of friends or professors.

Neo moved her body. Ruby felt her foot being prodded, and jumped up, not expecting the contact. Neo had an intention in mind, devilishly smiling at her. At some point, their blankets entwined, and an opening allowed their feet to connect. Neo only jabbed her once, and they stared at each other, a daring twinkle in their eyes.

But before Neo could engage further, her elbow brushed against something. Abandoning her plan for entertainment briefly, she turned and saw Ruby's specially protected box.

Ruby noticed this as well, having forgotten that she placed the box here. She didn't burst into panic, but merely scratched her head out of nervousness. Neo placed the box in her lap, finding it curious. She obviously was not going to rip it open, but just inspected the outside, no doubt finding it odd.

 _'_ _Sorry, should I leave this alone? It's just strange that this is the only box not on the floor.'_ Neo noticed Ruby's ambivalence, and thoughtfully asked for her guidance.

 **'** **It's fine. What's inside it is precious, is all.'**

This being the case, Neo handed over the box. Ruby wanted to open it, but how Neo would react to the content was open for debate.

 **'** **I'll show you later.'** Ruby stalled for now. Depending on how the day went, she would know enough about Neo to know if she would be anxious or kind towards the box's item.

Ruby hopped down and placed it on the window-side cabinet.

She then turned and inspected the rest of the dormitory. Between the half-finished décor and the strewn boxes, it was not what one would call inviting.

 **'** **Maybe we should move over to your dorm.'** Ruby clambered back to her bed.

 _'_ _What makes you think our dormitory is better?_

 _'_ _Besides, I think this room has a certain je ne sais quoi. It's cozy, and its silly adjustments are rather charming.'_

 **'** **Silly adjustments? Like what?'**

Neo put her hand on her chin, staring at Ruby with half open eyes. It encapsulated the question of 'Are you serious?'

 _'_ _Oh, I don't know, how about this bed suspended by ropes? Or that one over there held up by books? I'd choose to sleep on the rug before sleeping in any of these beds.'_

Ruby waved her hand while scribbling with the other.

 **'** **They're fine. They haven't fallen apart yet.'** Saying as such may have been a mistake.

At once, Neo devilishly smirked, as though given a dare.

 _'_ _How stable are they?'_

 **'** **Very, very, very stable. I swear.'** Ruby tried to placate whatever evil thoughts swirled in Neo's mind. However, the fearful glint in Ruby's eyes belied her whiteboard.

Neo grasped the edge of the bed and shook it. The entire bed rattled from side to side, ropes quivering in a wave from bottom to top, Ruby and Neo bouncing up and down. Somehow, the petite girl managed to emulate an earthquake squarely on the bed, partially due to the loose nature of the ropes.

"Hey, take it easy!" Ruby squeaked as she rolled to the edge. She should have known better than to use the word 'yet.' They ended up next to one another, Ruby putting a hand on Neo's shoulder for support.

Above them, one of the ropes attached to a hook nailed in the ceiling started to give way, unloosening slightly. Ruby glanced up, scared for their immediate safety, but it seemed to hold.

Neo stopped, though not because Ruby spoke.

 _'_ _Why the panicked face? It's stable, right?'_ Neo clearly teased her, only using the opportunity to have fun. As far as Ruby could tell, entertainment was one of Neo's main desires.

 **'** **That doesn't mean it's a stress ball!'** Ruby rapidly wrote, donning her worried look.

Neo breathed out, her pink nose whistling.

 _'_ _Alright, I'll leave it._

 _'_ _We should find something to do. We can't go out, though, since we're walking like our kneecaps are replaced with Slinkies. By the way, that's an inhumane operation that I'm planning to fund on Indiegogo.'_

Ruby nodded in agreement to her proposal, ignoring everything else. Two people could only write for so long before conversation ran dry, even when it involved somebody as unique as Neo. The main question was what to do. Before Neo came, Ruby planned on opening the box, though this was put on hold.

Ruby wanted to propose a nap, for lack of better things to do. Although Neo tried to hide it, her eyelids were heavy, like she was forcing herself to stay awake so she wouldn't come across as boring. And to an extent, Ruby felt the same way. There was little to do in this condition. However, Ruby couldn't predict the outcome of her recommendation, so stewed on it some more.

 **'** **We haven't got much here. There's some books on the shelf that Weiss and Blake collect.'**

 _'_ _I don't read books unless they contain at least 3 scenes of S &M._

 _'_ _Cinder's books are fantastic, by the way.'_

This probably was not a good topic to jump to. Ruby continued.

 **'** **We've got a few board games, and our tablets.**

 **'** **Or we could just nap. We would need to share this bed.'**

Screw it, Ruby thought. She had nothing to lose by asking. Time to see if she could get away with it. She had her doubts, considering how many overtones the proposal carried, but ultimately, this was better than forcing themselves awake.

Neo enticingly looked at Ruby. The corners of her lips twisted into a smirk.

 _'_ _Nap, I choose nap.'_

 **'** **I thought you might.'** Ruby lauded.

 **'** **By the way, I say we need to share this bed so that we don't contaminate my friend's sleeping areas due to our respective illnesses. That's probably how science works, right?'**

Ruby couldn't place why, but she felt a need to give some flimsy justification. It stopped her from feeling so brazen towards Neo. In actuality, Yang would probably have no problem with Ruby using her bed, but the dark haired girl wanted to at least try and share a bed with Neo without appearing too forward.

Neo similarly played along.

 _'_ _Obviously. And I only agree to napping with you so that we may huddle together for warmth to help regain our strength. It's silly to do this purely because we find each other attractive.'_

 **'** **That's the excuse in case somebody walks in on us, right?'**

 _'_ _Right.'_

Neo laughed silently, throwing away the pretence. At least she had no shame in this situation. Ruby briefly wondered if Neo's thoughts mirrored her own. Sincerely tired, but willing and wanting to spend the time sleeping with one another.

Overall, this was decided quicker than expected, and with a favourable outcome. Ruby had no idea why she thought this wouldn't work; of course Neo would be willing and eager to this idea, seeing as she was a debauchee, too.

Neo, rather excitedly, made the first move and shed her blanket, scattering it across the foot of the bed and spreading it upwards, intentionally covering Ruby. Meanwhile, Ruby jumped towards her pillow and rested her head on the right side, kicking her blankets outwards underneath Neo's own.

Neo had to duck under the double layers of blankets to move forwards. The small lump that was her body scrawled towards Ruby, their legs brushing together. With a lunge, her head popped out, taking up the pillow's left side.

They both giggled, Neo covering her mouth. Their whiteboards and pens lay at the foot at the bed, but at this point, there was little they could say.

Ruby had to laugh at herself. She hadn't even known Neo for more than forty-eight hours, but they somehow ended up lying in bed together, not that this actually carried serious connotations. It took several months with Velvet to reach this point, though she was much shier and less amorous than the ice cream haired girl lying opposite.

Of course they weren't being serious. It was just flirtatious silliness. But Ruby loved it nonetheless, and she was quite certain that Neo did, too. This level of closeness contained a warmth that felt different to that of the room, less humid, more comfortable.

Neo drew the blankets over their heads, shrouding the limited light in the room. They could barely make out their faces as she settled back onto the pillow, both blankets ending at the top of the bed, completely smothering them.

For a minute, they just stared at each other, their silver and pink eyes the most visible parts of their faces. Under the encompassing blankets, heat quickly built up. Neo felt it too; by the time the second minute passed, a bead of sweat was faintly visible on the contours of her hairline, though neither girls had showered this morning, resulting in unclean hair on both accounts.

Ruby had to wonder why they were just staring at each other, but she figured it out by the third minute, purely by the provocative look on Neo's face; Neo was daring her to make a move. She wanted to see if Ruby had the bravado to come closer. Ruby returned the look.

When the fourth minute went by, Ruby flipped on her back and crossed her arms, tilting her head to the right so the blanket didn't rest on her forehead. She acted as dismissive as possible, wearing a playful smile. If Neo wanted to cuddle, then she would be coming to Ruby. The redhead was perfectly fine with sleeping with her back to Neo. In fact, it would be interesting to see how far Neo would go in this situation.

At the dawn of the fifth minute, Ruby felt her feet being brushed. Neo was playing footsie with her, rubbing their small feet together, trying to grab her attention. Ruby resisted the urge to play against her, as tempting as it was. All Neo wanted right now was for her to turn. The contact made Ruby gulp. She had not expected Neo to go in this direction.

This time, Neo moved near, only an inch or two from their bodies touching, keeping her close. At the same time, Ruby felt her left ankle be subdued by one of Neo's legs. She futilely tried to pull her foot away and failed, as Neo's other foot pressed into it. A pleasant sensation shot through Ruby, and made her snicker in glee, against her will. This was the first time she had played footsie, and hadn't expected it to create such an enjoyable vibe, nor did she know why.

Neo's game was just a seductive ploy to make Ruby turn around and cuddle her. She wanted a response to her light teasing. Another brush against Ruby's foot while she continued to try and wriggle it free, another giggle, as Neo's toenails scraped her soles, forcibly tickling her. It made her jump up slightly, being incredibly ticklish. Even so, Ruby managed to hold her ground. If Neo wanted them to hold one another, the first move was up to her.

Let's take a nap, Ruby said. I agree, Neo said. How did they go from that to physical flirting?

Ruby had no real reason for playing hard to get. She didn't want to 'establish dominance' or something silly by making Neo come to her, she was just wanted to see how far her new friend would go in order to receive her cuddle. Mainly, she wanted to see if Neo would do anything in response to her attitude, and was not disappointed.

Neo finally conceded and snuggled up to Ruby. She pressed against and put an arm around Ruby, audibly breathing out, and loosening her leg's grasp, but she still rubbed their feet together. The taller girl never quite figured out what she felt at that moment, but she decided it was close to guilt, in a way, almost like she turned down Neo.

As every second passed, Ruby continued to think on what just happened. How did she know that Neo wanted to hug her? She didn't, actually. It's not like they had spoken. Maybe Neo misunderstood what Ruby was doing, and in turn, Ruby had misunderstood Neo's intentions. Maybe this cuddle wasn't a concession at all, and Neo just wanted to get Ruby's attention.

In fact, this was starting to feel likely; Neo's feet trailed away, and she started to break away from cuddling Ruby. They weren't quite on the same page as one another. Ruby swung her head back to look at Neo, and, as she thought, her face bore disappointment, like she expected something else.

It dawned on Ruby that Neo was only toying with their feet to have fun, in her own promiscuous way. She almost did this a couple of minutes ago. However, from her perspective, Ruby merely ignored her. They were not aware of each other's intentions.

It now struck Ruby that she wasn't quite as good at reading Neo as she thought. The absence of verbal communication made a bigger impact than anticipated, and she regretted not bringing one of the whiteboards up with them. Ruby chided herself. Why did she believe that they would be on the same wavelength so soon?Ruby knew that they needed to spend more time with one another to achieve a better level of understanding. How strange that a silly flirting game brought about this realisation.

Neo looked into Ruby's eyes, clearly thinking to herself, mouth straight and breathing calmly. Her fingers twitched, maybe without realising it, as though wanting to sign her thoughts. Hopefully, she thought the same thing as Ruby.

She jumped out of her reverie when Ruby turned over, smiling, and poked her ankle with a foot. She waited in observation, waiting for confirmation that this wasn't an accidental jab, and brightened immediately with a silent laugh when Ruby's toes dug into her soft sole.

"Snrk…!" Neo's sudden laugh resembled a croak. Did Neo laugh because it tickled, or because she was gleeful that Ruby started to play along?

Neo tried to pull away from Ruby's prying toes, the urge to laugh etched on her face, and opened her eyes in surprise when she found her foot pinned down. She covered her mouth to stifle noise and fought back, pressing her free foot against Ruby's ankle, pushing it away.

For a moment, there was no offence. They relaxed, neutrally rubbing their feet together, enjoying the close contact. Neo attempted to trap Ruby's legs, but after a brief kick, their legs tangled, Ruby on top. She slowly traced her toes over the side of Neo's feet, daring her to move. Instead of attacking or defending, Neo moved into the motion, and slyly did the same to Ruby.

Ruby closed her eyes; even though she engaged much more, she felt too embarrassed to look at Neo, who was still able to keep her eyes open, despite her cheeks flushing pink. Ruby admitted, this was far more fun with two active participants.

Their toes met, but Neo reacted first and scraped them across Ruby's sole in a savage stroke. This time, Ruby's leg shot out then came down in response, shaking the bed in her effort to stop the sensitive sweeps. By now, Neo caught onto her ticklishness, and drilled into her other foot.

"Stop…!" Ruby squeaked between brief bouts of giggling, bouncing in place. A feeling both pleasurable and unbearable coursed through her with every second that Neo attacked her sole, making her squirm on reflex. She wanted to gain the upper hand on Neo again, and thrashed her legs to try and get on top, shifting the bed.

Ruby heard a creaking noise above them, opening her eyes. Neo stopped after seeing her face, feeling that something was amiss.

One of the ropes on the ceiling gave way, dropping the bed.

With the sound of thick rope slamming the floor, a single corner of the bed lurched downwards, and the two girls slid or tumbled down. They collided with Weiss' bed before bouncing onto the floor, Ruby hearing the loud thud of their bodies, and were caught in the bundle of blankets.

They did nothing for a minute, only now realising how much fun they were having after it stopped, Ruby particularly annoyed because she felt they were just starting. Her heart raced from the shock, and fought out of the blankets first, glad they were not on Yang's book-supported bed. Her eyes quickly readjusted to the light after spending so many minutes in darkness.

Her bed did not completely collapse. Only a single corner at the end had been detached, its support on the ceiling having come unknotted, first loosened by Neo shaking the bed. It was just a matter of time before this happened.

Neo pushed away the covers and examined the mess. Their whiteboards conveniently landed next to them.

 _'_ _What's our excuse for this?'_

Ruby shrugged. She could already imagine Yang's insinuations.

* * *

The upshot of the morning's events was that Ruby and Neo now had something to do that didn't involve suggestive contact. Now, it just involved regular contact.

They decided to try and fix the bed, as they certainly had the time. All they had to do was tie the loose rope back on the ceiling hook, and for this to happen, they needed to reach the ceiling first. Simple enough.

However, as Neo kneeled on her shoulders, Ruby gained faint awareness that this was not going to happen for an even simpler reason; they were too short.

Ruby grabbed Neo's legs tightly, worried that she would fall. Neo weighed relatively little compared to most people, but Ruby was no powerhouse, and carrying a person on her small shoulders swiftly drained her energy. In addition, Neo clearly had poor balance, or a sense of vertigo, as she failed to keep straight, something she probably should have mentioned in advance. When Ruby glanced up, Neo wobbled several more degrees to the left than could be considered safe.

All the while, Neo tried to swipe at the ceiling hook, rope in her left hand. The effort was futile. They were nowhere near tall enough to reach it.

There was no room for communication here. Their eyes met, showing that they both recognised the situation. Then, Neo pointed at Weiss' bed.

She wanted Ruby to stand on Weiss' bed? Even that extra height wouldn't be enough, Ruby figured. She looked back up and shook her head, aiming to show her denial of the idea. Neo pouted and scanned the room.

"What are you two doing?"

Neo saw and Ruby heard an intruder.

Hearing verbal speech came as such a shock to Ruby that she jolted around, Neo slipping from her shoulders. A bundle of white, pink and brown dropped to the ground. Fortunately, Neo had the foresight to lay out their blankets on the floor in advance, just in case. They softened her fall, but she still rubbed her elbow upon sitting up, grimacing.

Cinder and Emerald stood in the doorframe, in their college uniforms, casually observing them like visitors at a zoo. Ruby didn't remember hearing the door open.

"Isn't it polite to knock?" Ruby asked, only annoyed for a split second, hands on hips.

"The door was unlocked, so we didn't think you'd mind." Emerald nonchalantly explained. This was hardly an excuse. Emerald was able to speak while signing perfectly. Her motions were fluid as opposed to Cinder's rigid and uncertain signing from yesterday.

"Come on in." Ruby shrugged and invited.

Cinder and Emerald entered, the former holding a small handbag of unknown contents. They sat on Blake's bed while Ruby dropped onto the blankets next to Neo. Blake's bed squeaked as pressure was applied, and they both took in the abundance of boxes, the low lighting, and the overall mess.

Ruby and Neo's blankets were spread out across the floor, the large squares of fabric blotting out most of the carpet between the beds. Both owners lay on their makeshift cushions, looking up at the visitors.

"What, pray tell, happened to that bed?" Cinder pointed at their handiwork.

"And who's idea was it to hang it from the roof in the first place?" Emerald added.

"Let's be honest, that last question isn't relevant." Ruby waved it away, making it apparent to all that the suspended bed was her idea.

Emerald skilfully translated everybody at a rapid rate. Judging by this prowess, Ruby could tell that she had spent more time with Neo than Cinder did over their lives. She would love to know a timeframe for which they all met.

Neo signed.

"Neo blatantly admitted that you two were horsing around. I can't tell if she's bragging or not." Emerald translated, curiosity in her voice.

How amusing that Emerald instantly believed Neo, her only doubt being the intention of that admission. Ruby suspected that this was because of both her own and Neo's quirky natures, which Emerald had noticed by now.

"Just a little. Nothing major." Ruby giggled, subconsciously scrunching her toes on the covers. There was no point in hiding it if Neo wasn't ashamed.

"When perverts collide…" Cinder echoed Weiss' words from earlier this morning and sighed, shaking her head, though smiled through it.

Just then, Cinder remembered the bag in her hands. Neo gestured, making sure to catch Emerald's attention as the girl had rolled her eyes away from them.

"What's in the bag?" Emerald asked on Neo's behalf.

Of course, the only reason Emerald spoke Neo's inquiries was for Ruby's sake. Acting as a translator for both sides kept the conversation fair, something that didn't occur to Ruby when they entered the room. She needed to thank Emerald for the act of discreet kindness and consideration at some point.

"Well Neo, we noticed you didn't eat breakfast this morning, so we thought it prudent to provide you with brunch."

" _I_ noticed, and _I_ thought it prudent." Emerald corrected her.

"Close enough." Cinder's mouth grinned in the shadow of her hair.

Cinder shoved her hand into the bag and retrieved a packet of microwave pancakes.

"It's not high class nutrition," Emerald started, also speaking her own signing, "but I assumed you wouldn't care."

The packet of pancakes landed in Neo's lap. There were only two, and not all that large. Neo gave her thanks. Ruby then noticed her own hunger as food entered the discussion, also having eaten nothing all day due to her lack of appetite.

"Sorry Ruby, we didn't know you two would be spending the day together." Cinder twirled her hair. Despite saying as such, her voice could never convey an apologetic tone. "I can go get you something from the cafeteria."

"Eh?" Ruby almost wheeled back in her surprise. "You'd do that?"

"Of course I would. Blake is down there, after all, and she's ever so much fun." Cinder chortled.

Maybe selflessness was a bit too much to expect.

"Oh. Well, I guess I'll take you up on that." Ruby blankly said, unsure of who to put first. Blake would probably be fine. Ruby was hungry now.

"Excellent." Cinder calmly rose. "I'll be back."

Blake's bed squeaked again when Cinder stood, arms crossed and visibly pleased to have an excuse to find Blake. She left swiftly, high heels crushing the blankets on her way out. The three remaining girls casually watched her exit and shut the door, feeling as though there should have been more parting words in the conversation's end.

"Hey, she didn't even ask me what I wanted." Ruby lip's twisted as she whined.

Neo signed.

"Neo said that she's sure Cinder will bring back something edible, like…" Emerald hesitated, practically falling backwards in response to however Neo finished that sentence. "Neo, I'm not saying that."

This small exchange was made stranger by how Emerald had no problem verbally speaking her doubts in addition to signing it, in spite of refusing to exclaim Neo's sentence. All Ruby could gather was that she might not like the statement.

"It's fine, I don't think Neo could say anything to offend me. I'd probably agree with whatever she said, if anything, or just laugh at it." Ruby scratched her head, trying to pry out the response.

"Alright, but I'll still keep this one thing a secret." Emerald assertively affirmed.

Neo glared at her. Ruby guessed that she was annoyed over her joke going to waste. Neo must have decided to prevent this from happening again, as she took up her whiteboard.

 _'_ _The moment's passed._

 _'_ _Anyway, Ruby, do you recall that hint I gave you last night?'_ Neo winked, possibly in turn recalling Ruby clambering on her while looking as cute as possible.

Emerald put her hands on the bed, letting them have their own conversation.

It took Ruby a moment to think through Neo's question, her pounding head trying to deny access to such a memory. Still, she remembered one of the several conversations they had on the fountain, where she asked why a successful writer like Cinder and her best friends wanted to attend college. They all had a goal to collectively work towards, and their college subjects of choice would allow them to achieve it.

Neo was trying to push Ruby into steering the conversation in this direction. There was nothing to lose by asking, Ruby thought.

"Emerald, can I ask you a question?" Ruby instinctively used a coy tone, like she was about to ask for a favour. Emerald seemed unaffected, and thought before responding.

"You can. But I get to ask you something afterwards." She looked Ruby in the eye. Her voice ebbed between stern and casual.

"Um, alright." Ruby had no idea as to what Emerald would ask. "What are you studying here in Beacon?"

Emerald probably expected a more serious or difficult question. She tilted her head, wondering if there was a catch or follow-up, but after seeing Ruby's bright eyes, she visibly relaxed.

"Psychology, Law, and I.T. Why do you ask?" Emerald continued to demonstrate her on-guard nature.

"Just curious."

Actually, it just occurred to Ruby that she didn't know the full range of Neo's subjects, other than Art and Design. She needed this knowledge, too.

 **'** **Neo, what do you do?'** She forgot that Emerald could translate for a moment.

 _'_ _Apart from Art and Design, I'm also studying Textile Design, and I.T. too.'_

So, Art, Textiles, I.T, Law and Psychology. Ruby was sure that if she racked her brain and put her mental capacity to full use, she could figure out their end goal.

…

 **'** **I've got nothing.'** She blinked at Neo.

Granted, her mind was cluttered, but even if she was healthy, Ruby likely wouldn't be able to identify any professions that happened to involve these subjects. And she didn't even know the subjects of Cinder and Mercury.

 _'_ _Thought so. Remember, the four of us will be using our collective education in a collaborative effort._

 _'_ _Try to think a bit more generally. Emerald's not going to use her psychology qualifications to be a psychologist, for example. It has other uses that you probably never considered.'_

Was that supposed to help? That just broadened the range of possible answers. Ruby wasn't going to say this to the smiling Neo, and decided to just gather knowledge of Cinder and Mercury's current studies.

"Ah hah…" Emerald started, a little amused. "Neo's informed you that we're all working towards something, I see. As you've gathered, we're not at college just for the sake of it being the next step in education after high sch- I mean, secondary school."

For the first time since entering the dormitory, Emerald let loose a smile. The topic of their future and purpose washed away her more stoic nature. It allowed Ruby to relax more, too.

"Yeah, but Neo's being a big meanie and not telling me anything else." Ruby feigned childishness and swung her head to Neo, sticking out her tongue. Neo reciprocated.

"I'm sure she doesn't want to spoil the mystery. It's a bit unusual." Emerald rubbed the back of her neck after signing.

 _'_ _You're not mad that I'm spilling the beans, are you?'_ Neo lifted her whiteboard, eyes wide in a faux display of angst.

"Of course not, so don't look at me with those puppy dog eyes." Emerald avoided looking directly into Neo's eyes. "It's not like anything will change even if everybody in Beacon knows. I'm sure Cinder and Merc would agree."

This came as something of a relief to Ruby, though she didn't let it show. Awkwardness would ensue if Neo's friends were trying to keep the matter private.

This might have been a good opportunity to engage in light-hearted banter, now that Emerald was not so tightly wound. However, Emerald cleared her throat, trying to bring the topic to a close.

"Oh, right." Ruby said and shifted on the blankets, so that she leaned on an arm. "You wanted to ask me something, too."

"Yes…"

Emerald glanced at the floor. She twirled a lock of hair as Ruby tried to figure out why she stopped. Her mouth formed a line while in thought, and it occurred to Ruby that she was ambivalent, unsure of how to go about asking her question. How unusual for the girl who insulted Weiss to her face yesterday to act like this.

"Is something wrong?" Ruby asked.

"No…" Emerald started, bringing her eyes back up to Ruby. "Neo told me something about you last night, and it caught my interest."

"Um…" That could involve a lot of things, Ruby thought.

"Ruby, if I'm intruding, stop me at any time. But there's a few details I'd like to confirm."

"Sure…" Ruby felt anxious, but couldn't decide why. Emerald's expression remained the same, but she could tell that the pea haired girl was serious.

"Here goes." Emerald needed to psyche herself up. "Ruby, you were born in an American city that was nicknamed 'Patch' by its residents."

Ruby fell silent out of surprise. Her breathing stopped without her realising as such.

What Emerald said was not a question or an accusation. It was a fact. Indeed, Patch was Ruby's place of birth, and was not it's real name, just a nickname given by the people who live there. This begged the question of how Emerald knew not just this nickname, but how she knew where Ruby was born. But for now, Ruby just followed along with Emerald.

"Yeah." Ruby confirmed.

"And your mother's name was Summer."

What? Ruby forgot how to think for a moment. How did Emerald know that? How did she know anything about Ruby, let alone these kinds of details?

"Yeah…" Ruby said with less enthusiasm. She was not saddened by the thought of her mother, but confused.

Before continuing, Emerald breathed out.

"Eight years ago, your mother-"

A pen lid hit Emerald on the nose. Neo was the one who flicked it, cutting off their conversation.

"What?" Emerald grasped the lid, startled by the interruption, and shot a glance at Neo.

Neo dropped her whiteboard and pen and signed at Emerald, a curious look of determination in her eyes. She only returned to sign language so Ruby wouldn't know what they were saying, and both Ruby and Emerald knew it.

Emerald was overcome with a guilty expression for a moment, but swiftly regained sternness. She firmly gestured back.

Neo sank back, looking wounded. Whatever Emerald said, it brought Neo into subservience. Her wide, soft eyes showed genuine timidity instead of charming cuteness. She signed back desperately, face exclaiming that this was a pleading notion.

"Clod…" Emerald frowned when she looked into Neo's eyes. They exchanged more words without translating for Ruby.

How annoying. Ruby crossed her arms. She knew that Emerald was about to mention Summer's death, regardless of how Emerald even knew that fact. Why did Neo feel the need to interrupt? And to add insult to injury, they were obviously discussing this right in front of Ruby.

"It's okay. You were gonna say that my mom died eight years ago." Ruby blankly said.

Emerald and Neo stopped.

"No." Emerald corrected her.

This stunned Ruby. How else could Emerald have finished that statement? Eight years ago, her mother did what? 'Died' was the only way it could have ended, in Ruby's thoughts.

"Huh? But…" Ruby trailed off.

Neo signed one last time. She appeared frightened, eyes watery and lips tipped downwards, something that didn't suit her. In any other situation, Ruby would give her a hug, but this was not the time.

"Fine…" Emerald caved into Neo's begging. "I just want you to know something, Ruby."

"What is it?" Ruby left out the annoyance in her thoughts.

"Our orphanage was not a nice place. We have horror stories best left undisclosed."

This conversation already featured several twists and turns that made no sense to Ruby. The fact that Emerald now suddenly brought up their orphanage after stating facts about Ruby's mother and place of birth was just another random change of direction.

What did Neo and friends' orphanage have to do with anything? Did Emerald just feel like making a general statement? She sat on the bed as though what she just said made perfect sense, and Ruby had no inclination as to why.

Before Ruby could ask, her dormitory door swung open.

"Come along Blake, I'm starting to think you hate me. You don't, do you?"

"No, I really don't, I promise…"

Accompanying the squawk of the door, Cinder and Blake's voice could be heard.

Ruby, Neo and Emerald tersely stopped conversing, like a herd of deer in the headlights. The two newcomers didn't notice, and entered the room.

Cinder and Blake walked in, arms linked like a couple. Blake held her school bag in hand, whereas Cinder came empty handed. They stood on the blankets, over everybody else.

"What do you all think?" Cinder held Blake close, putting an arm around her waist. "Would myself and Blake make a cute couple?"

Blake blushed bright red at Cinder's touch, and instinctively put her hand over Cinder's own. Despite being nervous, she didn't fight against Cinder's grasp, almost settling into the close contact. Her yellow eyes met nobody, whereas her companion's eyes gladly looked around for an answer.

Neo gestured, having dropped her sad expression in advance. She now smiled as normal.

"Really? We're adorable together? I told you, Blake." Cinder affirmed.

"Absolutely." Emerald rounded it off.

Neo and Emerald were pretending that nothing happened, and maybe it was for the best. Ruby wanted a return to the amicable atmosphere, and going to a new topic would be the only way to do it. Cinder and Blake's timing was fortuitous, to say the least.

"Hello everyone…" Blake trailed off.

"Hey, Blake." Ruby responded. "How's your morning so far?"

"It's gotten a bit more exciting, to say the least." Blake wasn't sure if she wanted to break away from Cinder, as she kept holding the other girl's hand, physically entwining their fingers to pry it away, but kept stopping herself. "And what happened to you, Ruby?"

"Huh? Me?" Ruby said, puzzled.

"Your bed is tipped and you look even worse than earlier this morning. Your hair, mainly." Blake pointed at Ruby's hair.

Ruby couldn't find the effort to go to the bathroom and look in the mirror, but she figured out what Blake must have meant. She remembered the heat of spending time under the covers with Neo, and with her head against a pillow at the time, her hair must have become saturated in sweat. She raised a hand to her head, and felt it sticking out in multiple directions without its usual lightness.

"Oh, nothing much happened…" Ruby passed it off.

"Nothing?" Cinder questioned. "That's not what you and Neo told us earlier. What happened to the two of you 'horsing around?' In circumstances like that, it's no wonder your hair became so wild."

Blake judged Ruby carefully. This revelation brought a sly smile to her lips.

"Really, Ruby? What were you doing with this ill-fated, innocent girl?" Blake pointed at Neo.

"What? Me!?" Ruby resented her accusation as Blake darkly chuckled.

Neo attached herself to Ruby's arm and motioned with her hands, resting her head on a shoulder.

"Neo says that Ruby was all over her, not that she minded." Emerald translated.

"I should have known…" Blake breathed out, taking it as a matter of course.

"Like Hell, Neo was the one who started it! And I wasn't all over her, there wasn't even all that much to what we were doing." Ruby tried to defend herself, for all it was worth.

"Why don't I believe you?" Blake glared.

Cinder broke away from Blake. Cinder stood behind her, pacing back and forth, hand to chin. Any action made by Cinder, no matter how small, always gave off a gravity that drew the attention of all. Her footsteps echoed on the floor, skirting the edge of the blankets.

"This isn't good. Blake, are you aware that we're being beaten right now?" Cinder said, sternly.

"What do you mean?" Blake looked over her shoulder at the writer. Some anxiety regarding speaking to her yesterday had vanished, but much still remained.

"Ruby and Neo are flirting in a physical manner. We have some catching up to do."

Blake turned in panic, eyes open.

"Catching up? You mean…? No, what _do_ you mean?" She asked, confused.

"You and I need to match their activities. I refuse for us to be considered the lesser couple out of our friends." Cinder turned on her heels, firm in her assessment. Her aim to embarrass and tease Blake as much as possible was going well.

"But you and I aren't a couple. And neither are they, they're just a pair of horny idiots." Blake threw her hands at them.

"Hey, we're horny idiots with feelings." Ruby put a hand to her chest.

Neo waited for the translation.

 _'_ _Ruby, we should just take it in our stride. Our description isn't going to getting better than that.'_ Neo smiled, having accepted the title.

"Fair enough."

Cinder chuckled.

"If they're not a couple, that means we have time to gain some ground. At least we can be relaxed about it." Cinder breathed out in relief.

"I think you're implying that we're going to be spending more time together." Blake looked anything but relaxed. "And I might not have a say in it."

"Good, I wasn't being too subtle, then." Cinder's tone smacked of sarcasm. "Don't worry, Blake, after a few days, Stockholm syndrome should kick in. I'm almost being reasonable."

"Almost…" Blake repeated, staring at her entwining fingers.

A bell rang throughout the dormitory. Ruby covered her ears, head in disarray. It would seem that the next class approached for all but her and Neo. Their limited time with their friends reached an end.

Emerald moved first, jumping off the bed. She slung her bag over a shoulder.

"Time to leave. It's been fun, you two." Emerald gestured her farewell.

Neo then jumped to her feet, holding her whiteboard.

 _'_ _Ruby, wouldn't it be nice if these fine ladies were to help us? That bed isn't going to fix itself."_

It skipped Ruby's mind. Her and Neo were incapable of fixing the bed by themselves for a multitude of reasons. However, the other three probably wouldn't be willing to stay right now, seeing as their next class was starting.

"I'm sorry," Blake hoisted her bag, "We need to get going."

Fortunately, Ruby and Neo could be very persuasive.

"Aw, are you making us repair the bed all by ourselves?" Ruby adopted large, watery eyes, and leaned forward on all fours, lips quivering. The fact that she was already a mess added to the illusion of being an injured puppy.

"You're going to have to, I'm afraid." Emerald walked towards the door, unaffected.

Neo pouted her lips, shrinking next to Ruby, cuddling up to her with a whiteboard in hand.

 _'_ _Ruby, what kind of awful people leave two sick, weak young ladies to do such torturous physical labor?'_

 **'** **The people in front of us. Blake, I thought you were better than this.'**

Blake frowned, susceptible to Ruby's guilt inducing manoeuvres, let alone the added fixation of Neo's vulnerabilities as she pressed against her companion, pink eyes full of distress. Their combined display of frailty visibly made Blake weak in her knees.

"S-Stop looking at us like that." Blake whined, playing with her hands out of nervousness.

 **'** **You're** **making us look like this.'**

 _'_ _Just stop, Ruby. They don't care about us.'_

 **'** **Yeah. They're too busy with 'education' or something stupid.'**

 _'_ _Guess we'll just sit here and cry about our friends abandoning us in our time in need.'_

Ruby and Neo hugged each other, finding solace in each other's company. They closed their eyes and pretended to sob.

"Okay, alright, we get it." Cinder exhaled, smiling like she enjoyed watching a show. "You've reached the destination of your guilt trip."

Ruby put her hands on Neo's shoulders and pried her away, letting her know that their exhibition worked.

"You'll help?" Ruby asked, delighted.

"Yes, yes, we can spare a few minutes of our lesson time to help." Cinder already approached the bed.

"We can?" Emerald's hand was on the doorknob.

"Of course. You two don't mind, I assume?"

Emerald grunted, whereas Blake already made her decision, standing next to Cinder.

"Fine…" Emerald conceded. Ruby noted that she only agreed to help at Cinder's beckoning, as opposed to her and Neo's begging. Emerald's loyalty started to show through in the smallest of decisions, and Ruby thought about how Cinder used her new writing career to help the group of four earlier in life. Did Neo and Mercury have the same faithfulness?

Ruby decided to wait until she knew the four some more until reaching a conclusion. For now, she and Neo had the difficult task of doing nothing.

* * *

Ruby and Neo sat back on their blankets, watching their three friends work.

The solution was simpler because of their numbers. Blake and Cinder held the bed up from the bottom, standing on Weiss', as Emerald stood on top, tying the rope back on the hook. Ruby and Neo didn't even consider putting the bed back in its original suspended condition.

 _'_ _I'm tempted to poke their underarms and watch the bed crush them.'_

 **'** **Neo, no.'**

Emerald looped the rope around its hook several times before tying it properly, immediately easing the burden on her two cohorts. With that done, she wiped her hands and jumped down, landing in front of Ruby and kicking up the blankets.

"There. Am I free to go now?" Emerald asked, mildly annoyed. They didn't know who she addressed.

Cinder and Blake stepped off of Weiss' bed, the writer with hands on hips.

"You may go, servant." Cinder joked.

"Thank you." Emerald said, in a stern voice that nullified her intended sarcasm.

"Thanks for the help, Em!" Ruby cheerfully waved, but Emerald already turned towards the door.

"Yeah, yeah…"

Emerald teetered on the edge of storming away, and kept a swift pace as she put her hand on the door. She hardly lost momentum when she opened it, jumped out, and slammed it behind her. Weiss' painting shook with the impact.

Ruby gulped, wondering if she did something wrong by starting the chain of events leading to them fixing the bed.

"Is she okay? 'Cause I think she was kinda mad." Ruby scratched her ear, glancing away.

Cinder perched on Weiss' bed.

"Emerald's a pedant for punctuality, particularly for her classes. As you just saw, missing a few minutes of a lesson is her own personal Hell." Clearly, Cinder was not bound by the same inner obligation, as she inspected her nails like she was waiting to be called in a doctor's reception area.

 _'_ _Emerald's tightly wound. She places her education over almost everything.'_ Neo wrote.

Cinder forgot to sign their speech, but Neo figured out easily enough what they were speaking about. Seeing this, Cinder gestured an apology and continued, remaining as fluent as possible.

"I do so wish she would relax, but if it's a weekday, she prefers to keep a stick in her ass. Oh, it's 'arse' over here, isn't it?" Cinder toyed with her hair, nonchalantly. "Try to speak to her again over the weekend. She'll be a much nicer person, I promise."

If Ruby knew this, she would have just asked for Cinder and Blake's help alone. Then again, it was Cinder who effectively brought Emerald in to help them, even when she knew what kind of person the pea haired psychologist is. It was on the tip of Ruby's tongue to say that Cinder should have let her go, but Ruby knew too little of their relationship to comment, and did not want to antagonise her by accident.

"I'll be sure to thank her again then." Ruby plainly said, hiding her thoughts.

Today was Tuesday, and Ruby had no doubts she would see Emerald before the weekend. Hopefully herself and Emerald could be more friendly at that time, regardless.

"Anyway, Blake," Cinder continued, turning the spotlight to the demure girl, "I won't bother you much longer."

"W-What?" Blake whipped around to Cinder, startled by how she was being addressed.

"I'm sure you're sick of me by now." Cinder yawned. "You look like you're going to jump out of the window whenever I'm near, and like you're going to faint when I touch you."

This was quite an unexpected sense of awareness from Cinder, Ruby thought. She blatantly knew how her presence make Blake uncomfortable, and felt a little guilty about having fun with this fact.

"Oh, that…" Blake held a wrist, boring a foot into the floor-bound covers.

"It's quite alright if you want to stop associating with me. Me having some fun with you isn't worth your comfort in Beacon. You could say I've had my fill."

Blake stared at Cinder, who lazily looked at the red curtains, refusing to meet her eyes. Cinder smiled, but differently than normal, as it instead showed more genuineness. She meant everything she said in a rare and short show of kindness.

"My discomfort isn't your fault." Blake blurted, slightly twisting her upper body as though anxious to face her.

"I beg your pardon?" In spite of her confusion, Cinder still smiled.

"It's just…" Blake spent a second to gather her thoughts and try to eke out the stammering in her voice. "I wasn't expecting my favourite author of all time to be so… unique, in a good way, I mean. And I didn't expect her to take a shine to me. My discomfort is a result of being starstruck, I guess, so please don't think you've been a nuisance to me or anything."

Cinder drummed her fingers on her lap, listening to Blake, but still not looking at her. Ruby and Neo stayed out of their conversation, letting them speak.

"Interesting." Cinder murmured. "Do you like my company, then? Do you like that I'm so forward and teasing?"

"Well, I think you're fun to be around…" Blake avoided the second question.

"I'll rephrase those questions, then. Is spending time with me going to impose any uneasiness on you at all?"

"No. It won't take much longer to get used to being around a celebrity, I promise." Blake tapped her fingers together.

At no point did Cinder address being Blake's favourite author, nor her own celebrity status. Both of these points made her mouth twitch when Blake mentioned them, like they irritated her.

"Very well. However, there's two things that should be made clear." Cinder's hair shadowed her face.

"What is it?" Blake asked, worried by her shift in tone.

"First, and this applies to you too, Ruby, is that you should never think of me as Cinder the writer. I despise that people only ever think of me as the writer of three best sellers and nothing more. I am your equivalents, and you are mine, especially considering we're all students. If there's one thing you need to remember about me, it's that I hate my title. Please, all… I ask of a friend is that they consider me their equal."

Cinder coughed loudly after finishing, scratching her neck and looking away from Ruby and Blake. She was embarrassed.

"No problem." Ruby smiled.

"I understand. And I'm sorry if it felt like I put you on a pedestal."

Blake finally smiled at Cinder, an expression other than blank stares or blinding intimidation. Cinder caught a glimpse of it from the corner of her eye.

"Good." Her lips almost formed the words 'thank you,' but they didn't come.

Blake sunk next to Cinder, hands in lap, able to toss aside her apprehension.

"What else?" She asked.

"Second…" Cinder put a hand on Blake's back. "Is that you better be prepared for all of my inevitable transgressions towards you."

She then slid a hand around Blake's legs and pulled her off the bed, carrying her bridal-style.

"Eek!" Blake shrieked, conscious of being carried off the ground by Cinder alone. She threw her arms around Cinder's shoulders. "Don't let go!"

With her arms raised around Cinder, Blake couldn't defend herself when a set of nails dug into her ribs and legs respectively. She made a combination of a laugh and gasp, squirming in Cinder's arms and eyes shut tight. A 'stop' was about to leave Blake's mouth, but it tumbled out as a prolonged 'ah.'

"Your wish is my command." Cinder supported Blake's upper body on her bicep. This let her slip a hand on Blake's stomach, her sharp nails scratching through the thin shirt. "Don't worry, I'll _never_ let go."

"Ngh, why…?" Blake yelped and kicked out with her dangling legs when the back of knees where prodded. "Why me?"

"You yourself claimed you had no problems with spending time with me. It's too late for regrets." Cinder chuckled and reigned her close, constantly prickling her body in various places.

Blake breathed through her mouth, trying to squirm out of Cinder's hold, but whenever she moved, a set of nails subdued her. Her cheeks burned red, movements becoming lethargic. Cinder paused her offence, letting Blake turn limp in her arms.

"No, I mean…" Blake nearly put her head against Cinder, but decided this would just incite her captor into more action. "Why _me_?'

"Because you're just so gosh darn adorable. Besides, are you going to lie there and tell me you don't enjoy this?"

Blake twisted her head away, and Ruby saw the ambivalence on her face. Ruby thought that she had an aversion to close affection.

"Sh-Shut up." For once, Blake fired her words at Cinder.

Cinder laughed out loud and put Blake down. Ruby felt that she may have missed something, as she watched Blake pat down her skirt, sneaking a glance at both smaller girls.

"I'll give it a rest." Cinder crossed her arms, flicking her hair. "I still have a lesson to attend."

"And I have a couple of things to do before meeting Yang for coffee later." Blake sighed, as though she now needed to revise her to-do list.

"Keep me in your thoughts." Cinder tapped her on the shoulder as she walked towards the door, smiling. "Ruby, Neo, it's been a pleasure seeing you."

"Right, thanks for the help!" Ruby waved her off. Although Cinder was too occupied in the past couple of minutes to sign, she spent a moment to sign goodbye, which was reciprocated.

Cinder closed the door more gently than Emerald. Blake paused as she reached for it.

"By the way, please don't tell anybody about what just happened. Or what was said, for that matter…"

Blake mumbled before leaving, too uncomfortable to wait for Ruby's response, or even look at her.

* * *

Lunch time soon came about. From the window, Ruby and Neo could faintly hear other students chatting in the courtyard, no doubt enjoying a fulfilling lunch. Ruby, on the other hand, had nothing to eat; Cinder brought her nothing from the cafeteria other than an adorable spectacle with Blake. Her stomach growled, as she gained awareness of her hunger.

Neo returned from the dormitory's kitchenette area, hidden away in the corner near Ruby and Weiss' bed. She held a pair of white, basic plates. Despite the kitchenette being stocked with ingredients, Ruby was in no mood or condition to cook.

One plate fell in Ruby's lap. It held one of the two pancakes earlier given to Neo, warm and lightly covered in syrup. Even if somebody ate both pancakes, they were too small to provide a satisfactory meal, yet Neo was giving one to Ruby.

Ruby wanted to argue that Neo should eat them both, but the smaller girl was already sitting back down, opposite a chessboard. She didn't want to discuss the act of kindness.

For the next few minutes, they continued playing chess while eating the meagre meal. Being her first game of chess, Ruby knew she was outmatched. More than once she needed to ask how the horsie moved and how Neo was able to move the castle and guy with the cross at the same time.

By the time they finished eating, they, as expected, were hardly full.

 **'** **Thanks.'** Ruby said, anyway. She moved a piece on the board.

 **'** **Checkmate.'**

Neo wrote on her board, maintaining her ever calm composure.

 _'_ _It's nothing._

 _'_ _And what the eff did you just say to me?'_

Neo looked as sweet and relaxed as ever, even retaining her smile, but her hands shook in suppressed rage. Her eyes danced over the board.

 **'** **Checkmate. I think that's good, right?'**

 _'_ _Yes. It's pretty good.'_

Neo then picked up the chessboard and hurled it at Blake's bed, letting the pieces fly over the room as the board made a heavy thud. Ruby jumped back, unsure of why Neo was angry.

Neo slashed at her board, pouting.

 _'_ _Chess is stupid. We're not playing that again.'_

Though Neo was clearly vexed, she couldn't display anger without cutely twisting her lips. Anger didn't suit her.

Ruby and Neo lay back, next to each other, crumping the covers. They were softer than expected, considering they lay on the hard floor.

Neo scribbled.

 _'_ _Do you know what I hate the most about stuck indoors right now?"_

 **'** **What?'**

 _'_ _We don't get to see our friends interact._

 _'_ _Who knows what they're all doing right now?'_

They breathed out at once. Ruby hadn't even thought of this. Maybe Emerald and Weiss were on better speaking terms now. Maybe Yang and Mercury were fighting again. Now that Neo drew attention to it, Ruby started to miss her small group of friends already, seeing as she always shared her classes with at least one of the three. Seven now, she supposed.

 **'** **All 8 of us should go out together at some point.'** Ruby wrote, contemplating a way to make up for lost time.

 _'_ _Go out?_

 _'_ _You mean to a club or something?'_

Neo audibly twisted the blankets, staring a hole into her whiteboard. She seemed averse to the idea.

 **'** **Maybe not a club. I don't know, anywhere, I guess.**

 **'** **You don't want to?'**

 _'_ _It's a nice idea. I'd prefer it to be closer to home, though._

 ** _'_** ** _Really? I thought you would be pretty outgoing.'_**

Neo started writing something, then wiped it down.

It struck Ruby that writing to each other like this stripped away something from the conversation. People cannot undo their verbally spoken words, but when writing, somebody can correct and change their sentence without showing their initial statement to somebody. What was Neo about to say? It would be forever locked in her mind.

 _'_ _I don't like big crowds. I get nervous._

 _'_ _I'm not referring to our group of 8, I mean other people. I like interacting with others in smaller groups, or just 1 on 1. The main reason I started coming on to you was because you clearly weren't part of a large friend group, I'll be honest. I hope that doesn't insult you.'_

Neo's face straightened, perceptibly concerned that she said something wrong. She had been careful in writing this. Ruby spent a minute staring at her whiteboard.

 **'** **I'm not insulted.'**

Ruby only wrote this while she thought about Neo's array of sentences. She needed to process it entirely. Now, it was her turn to be delicate in writing a thoughtful response.

She very much wanted to know if Neo's preference to avoid public areas and large groups was due to her deafness. Not many people in the world knew sign language, and writing everything to several people could be a huge hassle. For all she knew, Neo hated writing her speech, but only found it tolerable because of the limited audience.

But maybe there was more to it than that. After all, Neo said she felt nervous in crowds, and that didn't necessarily relate to being deaf. She dropped the thought and considered the rest of Neo's sentences. She needed to stop thinking that Neo's deafness caused her problems.

 **'** **Seriously, it's not insulting at all. We've buddied up, no matter why you wanted to befriend me, right?**

 **'** **I'm okay with a smaller friend group. I've tried to make other friends before, and even had a girlfriend for a while, but ultimately, I'm happy with who I've got.'**

Neo sat up.

 _'_ _Thank you for not being mad, or asking why I get nervous._

 _'_ _Also, an ex-girlfriend? Details!'_

They giggled, and Ruby fully intended to elaborate, but Neo waved her off, writing again.

 _'_ _Not really._

 _'_ _There's one more thing I should come clean with.'_

Neo's smile remained, but lost some of its vigour in exchange for worry.

 **'** **What is it?'**

 _'_ _There's another reason I wanted to get to know you some more.'_

Ruby suspected that she already knew this in part.

The way Neo reacted to 'Rose' last night. The way Emerald knew things about her mother. There was an explanation here.

 **'** **Is it because you've heard of my second name before? Rose?'**

Neo nodded and started answering instantly.

 _'_ _Yes. You, me and my friends are connected by a single thread._

 _'_ _As you probably suspect, that thread is your mother, Summer Rose.'_

 **'** **Yeah, thought so.'**

Ruby twirled her pen on a finger. She couldn't predict where this conversation would go, and let Neo continue. It was almost a terrifying prospect.

 _'_ _Do you want to know what I stopped Emerald from saying earlier?'_

Ruby nodded, eyes full of worry but determined nonetheless.

 _'_ _Emerald was not going to say Summer died._

 _'_ _She was going to say that Summer was murdered.'_

That was it?

Ruby felt silly. She thought Emerald was going to say something revelatory, something she didn't know already.

Ruby knew full well that her mother was killed, assailant unknown, on Christmas Eve. Stabbed several times in the neck, left leg bruised, handbag stolen. Those were the details her father gave her a couple of years ago when she asked. Police suspected she was robbed and was killed trying to fight back.

The thought only gave Ruby pause for a few seconds. No matter how many times she thought about her mother, it still stopped her entirely. However, Ruby had shed all of her tears. Her mother's death was a fact. Nothing more.

So what was this feeling invading her heart, clawing at her throat? Whatever it was, it was ugly, gruesome, aggressive, gaining grip on her mind.

 **'** **You didn't have to stop Emerald from saying that. I know.**

 **'** **Why did you do it?'**

Neo flinched slightly, and Ruby wondered if she put up the whiteboard with more force than intended. She then knew the feeling was anger, but didn't know why it pervaded her now.

Again, Neo spent some time creating her response. She made several repeats, finding difficulty in reaching a decision.

 _'_ _I didn't think you would like to talk about Summer.'_

Ruby couldn't stop a swift growl under her breath.

Did Neo really think this was her choice to make? Ruby had no problem discussing Summer. Anybody who claimed otherwise only served to insult her.

 **'** **Why do you get to make that call?** **How about**

Ruby stopped before she said something truly vile.

In that instance, Ruby realised just how lucky she was. If she had to verbally speak with Neo, their brief friendship would have practically ended here and now. What even caused her to act like this?

This happened before. This is how she and Velvet broke up. Losing a relationship over an emotional fit was a horrifying experience, and she almost did it again. The feeling came so quickly, and Ruby almost failed to prevent it.

This was the real reason for why Ruby teared up, not because of her mother. Any relationship could end at the drop of a hat, and Ruby had the potential to say stupid things when emotionally burdened. This happened to be a significant fear. Weiss, Blake, her sister, and anybody she knew might come to hate Ruby if she was reckless with her words.

Emotional burdens? Was that the cause? The phrase appeared in her head. Ruby started to think about the end of college. It was not even a prolonged thought, where she considered everything that would change. It was, however, enough to tip her tears over the edge of her eyes, like a subconscious fear that always hovered above. And just by thinking of this fear, her heart started to fall into disarray. Why couldn't this problem just disappear?

How many times had she pondered on her pressures? Life after college, passing her exams, meeting her professor's and family's expectations, having no certain future, no matter how much she tried to live her life, they never stopped breaking her heart, endlessly tormenting Ruby until she broke at the drop of a pin. Talking about her mother almost triggered that drop.

"Sorry…" Ruby shakily cleared her throat, not in a complete state of sobbing. It wasn't enough for her to breakdown.

Neo put down her whiteboard and kneeled next to Ruby. She opened up her arms, inviting a hug, concern written on her face instead of her whiteboard.

Ruby accepted, and let herself be comforted. She didn't want to go through this whirlpool alone. Neo felt loneliness was nihilistic, Ruby felt loneliness was painful. She rested her head on Neo's chest, as a pink-nailed hand stroked her hair. Ruby enjoyed the gesture. Neo couldn't have known what really bothered her, and probably thought that talking about Summer triggered it. Regardless, Neo wanted to ease whatever pain Ruby felt.

"Thanks…" Ruby mumbled, her voice muffled in the top of Neo's chest. She then realised that Neo couldn't hear her, anyway.

Ruby shouldn't have been so angry. Neo just made a mistake, and an easily forgivable one at that. How did she enter this state so quickly? Maybe considering how easily she could lose her small pool of friends invited fear. Maybe the burden of the future was taking a bigger toll on her than she wanted to ever admit. Or maybe it really was thinking of her mother's murder. No matter the answer, Ruby could feel the combination forging her emotional distress. And it was only the second day of her last year of college.

After a few seconds, Neo took Ruby into a lying position, where they were more comfortable. Two minutes went by, with Ruby shaking and crying silently into Neo. Her anger, irritation and fear dissipated as she shed tears, letting Neo caress her streaks of hair, smoothing its thick strands and persuading serenity to take over. Only the talking of students in the courtyard suggested time passed.

Ruby wondered if it was ridiculous to seek relief from somebody she had only known for two days, but decided they had done stranger things together up to this point. She justified it by thinking that the contexts were different. She would do this for Neo, if her new friend wanted support, and hoped that she knew this.

As much as she wanted to stay in this position, Ruby broke away. She needed to sweep aside her disturbing thoughts, abandoning the problem, just like always. The less she faced her issues with leaving college, with trying not to lose her friends, with her mother's death, the less she would be in pain, and the less she needed to cry. There was no need for a problem.

Unfortunately, denial exists to soothe, not mend.

Ruby stayed lying down, facing Neo. She always felt happier after crying. She could see a small, relaxing smile through the tangled pink hair, and smiled back, wiping her eyes.

 _'_ _I'm sorry. That was my fault, wasn't it?'_

'(╯_╰)'

Ruby giggled and put Neo's whiteboard down, as if dispelling the question.

 **'** **No. I was just being stupid. I don't want to talk about it.**

 **'** **I'm sorry if I got a little annoyed. :)**

Her emote paled in comparison, but she wanted to show that she harboured no resentment, in addition to her physical smile.

 _'_ _Nothing to be sorry for._

 _'_ _I didn't understand you as well as I thought I did, I guess. It was pretty insolent of me to assume command of how much we talked about Summer.'_

At this rate, they would go around in circles, but she appreciated Neo's honesty and concern. Ruby swiped at her whiteboard.

 **'** **How did you know my mom?'**

Neo flopped on her back, scribbling.

 _'_ _At this point, you probably figured it out from context._

 _'_ _Summer was a carer at our orphanage.'_

It made sense, Ruby thought. She could put the pieces together with this knowledge.

 **'** **So, you, Emerald, Mercury and Cinder all lived in Patch, too. No wonder you knew our hometown's nickname.**

 **'** **I knew my mom was a charity worker, but I didn't know she worked in an orphanage, too.'**

Her father never explained Summer's job in depth. He never even mentioned an orphanage. Strange.

 _'_ _The reason for befriending you I mentioned earlier?_

 _'_ _I wanted to see if you really were Summer's daughter. It's an incredible coincidence, when you think about it, but between the silver eyes, second name, and everything I've learned today, it seems I was correct.'_

 **'** **I see.'** Ruby struggled to think of a way to follow this up.

 **'** **You had a reaction to Rose yesterday. I thought you looked kind of scared.'**

Ruby couldn't forget Neo's curious reaction last night. Neo's quivering eyes, shaking hands, and unsteady breath settled into her mind, and the way she broke her pattern of beautiful handwriting by writing Rose stuck with Ruby.

"Ngh…!"

Neo looked and sounded annoyed that her reaction was clear. She must have thought she hid it well. Now, Neo loudly tapped her pen to the whiteboard repeatedly, before settling on something to say.

 _'_ _I probably did. Sorry, but Rose brings back a few unpleasant memories of the orphanage._

 _'_ _That's not going to affect our inevitable relationship, of course.'_

Neo wheeled on her stomach, a hand under head as she smirked at Ruby, eyes dancing with mischief.

 **'** **I'd hope not!**

 **'** **And I hope Summer wasn't a mother figure to you or anything, because this might get weird.'**

Ruby noticed she talked about mother figures to an orphan. Neo didn't even notice at all, and her pen squeaked on the whiteboard.

 _'_ _Far from it, I assure you.'_

Ruby lay on her back, thinking.

This might be a good time to open the box. It still sat on the cabinet, a single stream of light in the curtain's gap shining upon it.

She now knew that Neo wouldn't be perturbed. In fact, this was the perfect opportunity.

Neo glanced in confusion as Ruby suddenly stood, trampling the blankets all the way over to her small box, shut tight with two layers of scotch tape, inside lined with bubble wrap. She picked it up, feeling it's weight, both light and significant at the same time.

Ruby took a moment to find a knife in the kitchenette, aware that peeling off the scotch tape would take too much time. Neo watched her all the while, unmoving. After a distinctive shredding sound, Ruby cut the box open, top panel falling off.

Ruby approached and dropped in front of Neo. The smaller girl peered over to inspect the container's contents.

Summer's death may be a fact to Ruby, but her presence meant much more.

Ruby took out a picture frame, bright yellow border like a sun in the dim room. Worn around the edges, but without a speck of dust. Not very large, but a big part of Ruby's life.

Neo's eyes flickered in the frame's reflection as she saw its picture; two people, one, a woman around forty, smiling gently, black hair waving, silver eyes soft and deep set in her barely lined face, wearing a silver coat and fluttering red scarf. The other, clearly a very young Ruby, sat on Summer's lap, beaming into the camera.

 _'_ _She's exactly as I remember her.'_

Although she expected it already, Ruby still felt pleased with Neo's response. Not unnerved, and not worried.

 **'** **This probably sounds dumb, but I like to speak to this picture like my mom is listening. It sounds dumber when you find out I'm not even a religious or spiritual person.'**

 _'_ _That's not dumb at all, Ruby._

 _'_ _Would you like a couple of minutes alone?'_

 **'** **Yes please.'**

Neo nodded. Then, she stood, put a comforting hand on Ruby's shoulder, and walked away, headed for the bathroom.

Ruby turned to the window and put her picture on the cabinet, standing it in the centre. She never put it on full display in her previous living locales, as it bordered on ostentatious, but until they finally got this dormitory in an acceptable state, there was nowhere else to put it.

Ruby crossed her legs, looking up at her mother. The single crack of light crossed between them.

"I almost freaked out again today." Ruby spoke, continuing her one sided conversation from a few days ago. "And it was because of this really small misunderstanding. It just sort of snowballed into something bigger. Nothing major, though, like when I broke up with Velvet. Just a few tears.

"You never told me you worked at an orphanage." Ruby changed topic, like she was playfully accusing Summer. "My new friend told me, Neo. She's a bit weird, but in a nice, funny way. At least, mostly nice. She's pretty and flirts a lot, like yours truly, so the inevitable happened and we're friends now. I'm pretty glad you couldn't see us earlier.

"I want to know more about Neo's time in the orphanage back in Patch, so I can find out a bit more about you, but it might be a bad idea. Her and her friends had pretty rough lives in the orphanage, apparently. I'm not sure how when you were there. Hopefully you took good care of them.

"Oh, and I'm sick. It was totally Neo's fault for pushing me in a fountain, but I got my own back. On the flipside, I didn't have to face any professors today, and I get to spend the day with Neo, so it's all good. Hopefully I'll still be sick tomorrow, heh… Kidding, kidding. I know I've got an education to think about.

"That's about all I've got. I'll let you know if there's a huge update. Love you, Mom."

That was all. A regular account of the past few days, aimless banter, as she did once or twice a week for the prior eight years. Something so simple served as an anchor for Ruby over the years, providing a warming light that dispelled some darkness in her heart. Summer couldn't resolve Ruby's ailing emotions, but she could provide relief when it was needed most.

Ruby looked at the image she poured faith into for so long. She couldn't quite remember where it was taken. She vaguely recalled a silver photo booth, though this was so long ago that memories blurred into one another. This was certainly taken a week or so before Summer's death, as Ruby could never forget, as her mother wanted to take a family photo, 'family' meaning just the two of them. This particular memory remained just as strong as Ruby's devotion to drawing strength from her mother.

Neo returned, padding on the covers. Her hair was slightly fixed, both colour of strands now on their respective sides, though still untidy. She kneeled down, taking up her whiteboard.

 _'_ _It looks like you loved her a lot.'_

 **'** **Duh. :)**

Ruby needed to work on her emote game, she knew.

Neo took a minute to think of her response. After realising her emotions regarding Rose were seen last night, Neo was making more of an effort to stay stoic when necessary. Why Neo felt the need to be stoic right now, Ruby had no idea.

It almost looked like she was making a decision.

 _'_ _I see._

 _'_ _Summer was definitely an unbelievable person. Very much so. Please keep that in mind.'_

 **'** **I already knew that.'**

Ruby had nary a bad memory of her mother, as few as they were. One day, she wanted to ask Neo about the kinds of things Summer did for her and her friends.

But now, Ruby was tired. Her condition had not improved since this morning. At least she was overcome with catharsis instead of conflict, and knew that resting would be much easier for it. Her catharsis came in the form of satisfaction, like she needed nothing else to smile.

Neo yawned, eyelids heavy. She looked as tired as when she entered the room. In hindsight, they didn't rest at all today.

 _'_ _Let's stop with all of this soppy stuff. I don't want to tell more tearjerkers than a serial murderer wielding an onion.'_

Ruby agreed. She wanted nothing more than to move on and stop this conversation from dragging out any longer.

 **'** **I'm exhausted.'** Ruby simply wrote.

 _'_ _In what way?'_

 **'** **Physically, mentally, emotionally.**

 **'** **We should have actually rested today.'**

Neo shrugged.

 _'_ _I don't regret the time we've spent awake. I enjoy our time together.'_

 **'** **Thank God. I like you a lot. You like me, too, right?'** Ruby briefly wondered how Neo would take this.

 _'_ _I do._

 _'_ _If you hook up with anybody who isn't me in the near future, I'll be mildly miffed.'_

Neo smiled in a way that suggested she would be more than miffed.

 **'** **Don't worry about that.**

 **'** **Let's go on a date tomorrow, after school. Then you don't need to be concerned.'**

Ruby had no reservations in her invitation. In addition to being courageous in this field, she knew full well that Neo would say yes.

 _'_ _I can get behind that idea. You better pick somewhere nice.'_ Neo winked at her.

Actually, where could Ruby take Neo? Based on her aversion to large crowds, somewhere peaceful would be fitting. It didn't have to be an elaborate date at all, maybe just a simple visit to a café.

 **'** **What about-'**

Neo, brandishing a pair of lenient pink eyes, pushed down Ruby's whiteboard while she was writing, gaining a smudge on her hand from the moving pen.

 _'_ _Surprise me.'_

Ruby nodded.

 **'** **Alright. Look forward to it.'** She leaned back.

Neo slinked towards Ruby and Weiss' beds, then stood, supporting herself on the cabinet. Her dizziness became apparent when she reached up, unsteadily, and reached for Ruby's pillow. She tossed it over her head, letting it land on their covers.

Neo fell back on the end of the blankets closest to the window.

 _'_ _Right now, I'm looking forward to sleeping._

 _'_ _Care to join me? Again? For real this time?'_

 **'** **Sounds good. I really did just want a normal nap earlier, by the way.'**

Ruby wanted to write more, but couldn't think of anything else. She said everything she wanted to say to Neo, not just now, but overall. She didn't consider it a bad thing; it meant they had been able to unload all manner of subjects on each other and still be comfortable in each other's company. After all, Neo could have gone back to her dormitory to rest, but chose to stay.

Ruby tossed her whiteboard aside, not needing it anymore. Neo acted in kind, reaching the same conclusion. They may have made a couple of mishaps in perceiving one another's intentions or behaviours, but on this occasion, they understood one another loud and clear. There would be no footsie, falling beds, or suggestive overtones this time. And right now, Ruby preferred it this way.

Moving the blankets and themselves back into the bed would require a modicum of effort, they knew, so they just slept partially on the floor. Neo stole away between the covers, sandwiched between them. She seemed to be comfortable, snuggling into a ball, head on the pillow. A yawn escaped her, presumably her tiredness finally catching up.

Ruby followed, slipping between the blankets and rolling into place, on Neo's left. Once again, she immediately fell into the relaxing warmth of another person, the tell-tale sign she sought to affirm a relationship. Only Ruby's friends let her close enough in proximity to feel this heat. When she tightly hugged Blake or Weiss like yesterday, she did it for more than entertainment; she wanted a reminder that those people were her friends, people she had not alienated by snapping, people who still let her close.

And she felt it now, lying next to Neo. In a strange twist of irony, Neo cuddled up to her by the arm, exactly what Ruby wanted earlier. Maybe Neo realised it. Despite their intimate vicinity, they were not tempted to play with each other again, happy in their current position. There would be other opportunities.

Ruby only had a few thoughts as she shut her eyes, not needing to wait long for sleep to come. Where she would take Neo tomorrow. How much she looked forward to knowing more about her. What their friends were doing.

And how much longer she could evade her problems.

* * *

A/N-This will be a short chapter, I said. This won't take me long, I said. It ended up at over 16000 words.

I would really prefer to release chapters on a weekly basis, but that's not going to happen at this rate. For now, I won't pinpoint a specific schedule for another couple of chapters until I figure out what to do about their length. Anyway, join me next time, where we continue to dance the cha cha upon the thin line dividing the T rating form the M rating!


	3. Day 3

**Day 3**

Ruby woke alone.

She felt a pang of pity pound her heart as her eyes flickered open, shifting and adjusting to the lack of light. The darkness confused her, and so did the lack of Neo. What time was it? And where was her companion?

Ruby lay still for a minute, on her back. She was still on the floor, in a blanket, just as she slept yesterday. Though, now, there was only one blanket as opposed to two. She was wrapped in the singular cover, head poking through its cylindrical formation. Soft, warm, comfortable. It tempted her back to sleep, and she almost gave in, eyes fluttering. However, she at least needed to get a few answers before doing so.

Now that Ruby's eyes became larger, she could penetrate the darkness to a greater degree. Faint moonlight cracked through the dormitory's red curtains, ending at the foot of Weiss' bed. The small lump that was Weiss gently moved up and down under her covers, softly breathing in rhythm. From the lack of light, Ruby could barely see her own suspended bed overhead, and underneath, next to Weiss, a pair of cardboard boxes were spilled open.

Ruby then remembered her own positioning, shaking away the fog in her head. Directly in the middle of the dormitory, between all of the beds. Near the window and its long cabinet, on the darkened floor where their blankets were originally combined. She and Neo slept here for a lack of effort to move a few feet to the bed.

To her left, opposite Weiss, Ruby could see Blake and Yang's beds. Blake lay on her back, mouth open, a book in her hand, like she fell asleep reading. Ruby presumed the book was I May Fall, its orange lettering barely visible in the shadows.

There was no noise, save for the occasional gust of wind scraping the window. Nobody snored. Nobody was outside in the courtyard. Nobody in the building of dormitory rooms spoke. Everybody slept. Ruby could feel the despondency of being the only person awake in Beacon.

Something sharply itched Ruby's collarbone, but she ignored it for a moment. She fought out of her blanket, silently, until she accidentally toppled a box. Its contents, a pile of books, spilled out with a heavy clatter, colliding with Weiss' bedframe. After two seconds, the books stopped making noise, flopping over one another, pages fluttering.

Ruby lay still for a moment. She managed to spread her blanket. As the chill of her body being exposed to the air took over, she waited for Weiss to wake up, no doubt disturbed by the noise. Weiss stayed sleeping, not perturbed at all. Ruby breathed out in relief, glad she was not responsible for any rude awakenings.

Ruby reached for her tablet on the window-side cabinet. She was cold, goose bumps on her arms, but this was due to the room's temperature and her thin clothing more than being sick.

5:02 AM. Ruby and Neo fell asleep near lunchtime yesterday. Not only did they sleep yesterday away, they slept through most of the night, too. The light of her tablet strained Ruby's eyes, and she turned it off as quickly as she turned it on.

There were still two hours until everybody woke up, and Ruby already contemplated going to her bed and continuing her extended sleep. She was not tired, but her head still hurt, yesterday's sickness still clinging to her mind. Besides, there was nothing to do at this time of night.

As Ruby picked up her covers, she noted her body's condition. She no longer shivered and shook, nor did she snivel and sneeze constantly. It seems the worst of her illness was over, and a lingering headache remained, and while it may have been annoying, it was nothing some light medicine couldn't solve. The only thing that affected her more than the headache was her current level of hygiene, having not showered for two days now. Her short hair shot out in several places.

Ruby had thrown the covers onto her bed when the itching of her lower neck turned into irritation. She scratched at her neck in reprieve, ending the mild discomfort, and her fingernails came into contact with the cause.

A long slip of paper was inserted in the strap of her tank top. She pulled it out, and saw faint letters scrawled onto it. She held the paper against the moonlight.

 _'_ _I woke up at about 4AM and didn't want to intrude on your dorm anymore seeing as your friends were here._

 _You probably wanted to snuggle up some more. Me too._

( ͡° ͜ʖ ͡°)

 _There's always a next time._

 _I just saw a flash of light, but I have no idea where it came from. It's creeping me out, so I'm leaving now. See you later!'_

 _XXX_

Ruby wished she woke up earlier so she could receive those kisses. She smiled to herself, large eyes soft, deep in thought. What kind of kisser would Neo be? Gentle? Slow? Rough? Why did she have to tease herself like this? Never mind, Ruby had plenty of time to delve into these somewhat perverted thoughts within the near future. Alone.

She crumpled up the paper, thinking about Neo's last line. A flash of light? The weather outside was mildly cloudy, but not even raining, let alone thundering. In that case, Ruby could only think of one thing that would cause a flash in this room.

In actuality, the room's silence was suspect, to say the least. Namely, Yang was not snoring. As Ruby, Weiss or Blake would attest, if Yang fell asleep before anybody else, then nobody else was falling asleep. Therefore, the absence of Yang's snoring only meant one thing.

Ruby slinked towards Yang's bed, gripping its frame. She heaved herself up with a grunt, head over the edge, peering at her sister.

"Feelin' better?" Came a whisper.

Yang lay in her tank top and shorts, hands behind her head, staring at the ceiling as though waiting for Ruby.

"Much. I've just got a headache now." Ruby spoke softly to avoid disturbing their friends.

"I'm glad." Yang grinned at her.

The elder sister moved to the left, inviting Ruby to join her. The younger obliged, and clambered into the creaking, sagging bed, on top of its covers.

They hadn't shared a bed for a long time, since they were younger and Ruby still cried for her mother.

"Neo saw you take a picture." Ruby partially lied.

"Thought so. Couldn't exactly snap a shot without the flash on."

Yang took out her camera from under the pillow. It's silver casing reflected the room's limited light.

Did Yang get any sleep at all throughout the night? Or did she stay awake for the sake of taking some pictures? Ruby wouldn't put it past the blonde. And on that thought, how many pictures did Yang take?

Yang spun the camera on her finger, smirking incessantly.

"I got a shot of you and your new lady friend yesterday. Wanna see?"

Yang took the option out of her hands by pressing some buttons. Its small screen lit up their faces, Yang looking casual and Ruby looking curious. Its blue light strained their eyes. Yang flicked her thumbs across the buttons until she found the image.

In it, Ruby and Neo were huddled together under the blankets, the former with her head buried against the latter's chest, both with eyes shut, hair entwined. Neo held her tight, as if shielding her from the bad thoughts she experienced earlier that day.

"I wish I was awake just a little longer…" Ruby sighed, thinking about how comfortable it must have been. She then realised that Yang enjoyed taking pictures of sleeping people. "Hey, why did you take this shot?"

"You two were just so freakin' cute I had to capture the moment." Yang ruffled Ruby's hair, making the smaller girl pout and try to shake her off. "I'm adding it to my collection."

Realising that Ruby's hair was not what one would call clean, Yang slung her arm over her shoulders. They settled together, Ruby holding Yang's wrist.

"I guess I'll get my big sister's opinion. What do you think of Neo?"

Yang laughed quietly.

"Heh, the only thing I know about her is that she's pretty."

"Good point." Ruby shrugged. "We should get together with all of our friends soon, you know, have a bonding experience. Neo and her friends are nice. In a strange sort of way."

"Oh, I don't know about nice. With you, maybe. But fun to be with? Hell yeah." Yang put a hand behind her head, maybe thinking about the time she spent with them yesterday, to which Ruby would be oblivious. "So, tell me, Rubes, what do _you_ think of Neo?"

"Huh?" Ruby wasn't sure of how to take the question. "I think Neo's great. She's fun, she's nice, and she's…"

Ruby didn't want to mention their game of footsie, so trailed off. Yang's insinuations would never end if she let it slip.

"I'm glad. You don't need my approval, just yours." Yang tapped her. "This is the only time you'll form a bond with anybody shorter than you, so make the most of it."

"Don't worry, I am." Ruby refused to show that she brooked offence.

The gentle wind stopped brushing the window. As day drew near, the weather calmed.

"So, you're gonna chase after that adorable little ice cream?" Yang sought confirmation.

"I'm not really chasing her. If anything, we're slamming against each other and wrestling to see who gets on top."

"I see, good, good…"

Ruby knew that tone of voice. Their father used it when he was concerned about their relationship choices. This begged the question of why Yang used it. She had fully supported Ruby's relationship with Velvet until the end. And, unlike their father, Ruby knew that for whatever reason Yang sounded dubious, she would not be placated by being told that they would not be hooking up with boys.

"Sis, what's up?" Ruby bit the bullet casually.

"Rubes, I just wanna make sure of something…" Yang removed her arm from Ruby.

"What is it?"

Ruby felt that she may not like Yang's answer.

"Are you sure you're ready for a relationship again?"

Ruby rolled on her side, staring into Yang. The blonde, straight-faced and narrow eyed, continued looking at the ceiling.

"What do you mean?" Ruby asked, slowly and curiously.

This time, Yang rolled to meet her. Her lilac orbs met Ruby.

"You know what I mean." Yang glared at her. "Are you fully prepared this time?"

"Fully prepared? Seriously, I've got no clue-"

Yang put a finger to Ruby's lips.

"Are you going to have an 'episode' like when you broke up with Velvet?"

Yang's determined tone made Ruby's heart sink.

Memories of her last relationship surfaced from the recesses of her mind. Ugly memories, memories she would prefer to bury deep in her soul, where they could never be accessed.

A shiver started to caress Ruby's spine. She did her best to ignore it.

"That'll never happen again." Ruby mustered her confidence. "I've got a grip this time."

Yang gripped Ruby's small hands.

"Promise me that you won't let yourself have a breakdown again?"

"I promise."

"Promise me that you'll tell us if you're freaking out again?"

"I promise."

"Promise me that I won't have to hide knives and razors from you again?"

"I… promise."

Ruby choked on her words, and cleared her throat. Yang's thumbs rubbed her wrists. A strange tingling sensation ran through her thighs and legs at the thought of razors.

Yang brought her sister into a hug.

"Good. Remember, you weren't the only who got hurt that week. Me, Weiss, Blake, Velvet, our dad, my mom, we were all scared for you. We've seen you at your worst, and don't want to see it again."

Ruby fell into the gentle embrace. She shifted closer, rustling the covers, and let herself be gripped in Yang's arms.

Ruby's breakup with Velvet encapsulated more than the end of a relationship. So much more happened.

Ruby had been afflicted with fear of the future and pressures of life for longer than a few simple months; it affected her most of her school and college life. And when a person is on the brink of a breakdown for such a long amount of time, the inevitable will happen.

It only happened once, but it felt as though the amount of time spent bottling her fears correlated with the intensity and duration of her attempted self-destruction. It lasted for an entire week, after all, and certain scars remained today.

Self-destruction. Ruby hated that term. It was all too applicable.

She tried to face the fact head-on. Ruby suffered a major breakdown. A violent and volatile one, at that.

And it was no coincidence that this occurred at the same time as her breakup with Velvet. In hindsight, maybe taking up a relationship when so unstable was not the brightest idea one could have, but Ruby chose to seek hedonism whenever able; she preferred to grasp onto any available happiness that could remove her from her agonising heartache. In this case, it was a relationship with Velvet.

She just never expected a relationship to backfire in such a horrendous fashion. A knife twist in her heart.

Why was the memory painful? Ruby failed to understand it. A memory was incorporeal, yet it hurt her at a single thought. How peculiar. In that case, trying not to think about it might be the best decision.

"Don't worry, sis. There's not gonna be a repeat. That's all over." Ruby whispered into Yang's shoulder.

"I believe you." Yang murmured, like she had a choice. No doubt a part of her didn't really believe Ruby. "I love you, Rubes."

"Love you too, Yang."

As much as Ruby hated discussing these topics, she couldn't bring herself to angry or frustrated at her sister. Yang was concerned, and she was right to be. No matter what, Ruby could never get away from her grasp, glare and care. She considered herself lucky to have such a caring sister.

"Glad we got that outta the way." Yang sighed.

"Did you stay awake all night just to talk to me?" Ruby asked as she broke away.

"Yup. No biggie." Yang yawned. "A few energy drinks can keep me awake later, probably."

Yang sank back on her pillow, arm around Ruby.

"If you say so."

Ruby lay next to her. Faint orange light began to seep through the curtain, slowly dispelling the darkness.

"Seriously though, Neo is gorgeous. You better not let her get away."

"I won't. We're going on a date later."

"Really? Where?"

"Dunno. A café or something."

Their banter continued for a few minutes longer, until Yang fell asleep of her own accord. Ruby brought the covers over them, and they slept the next two hours away together.

* * *

"…In the worst case scenario, you could always use a thermosetting polymer, such as, Ms. Rose?"

Professor Port's voice droning voice suddenly targeted Ruby.

Ruby and Yang's Mechanical Engineering class took place in a lecture theatre instead of a garage as some liked to believe. Their opportunities for practical work were rare, even in a college as privileged as Beacon, so most lessons involved lectures from Port or textbook work.

The lecture theatre was not specifically for Engineering classes; it served as a classroom for many subjects, depending on a professor's needs. Some Art and Design lessons had been held here in the past, so that Peach could give tutelage on historic artists.

Due to its all-purpose nature, the lecture theatre had no distinguishable traits in its design. It could house roughly thirty students at a time, its brown, uncomfortable seats situated in the centre of the room, ascending in height off the ground as they lined up to the back wall. Exactly half of these seats were taken, the Engineering students scattered around, papers on their bland desks.

There were no decorations on the generic, white walls. They just sat between the equally white ceiling and green carpet, trapping the students in the boorish, massive presence of Port. The large professor strolled back and forth in front of the blackboard that covered most of the front wall, laden in scribbles of mechanisms and other items that could only make sense to an Engineering student. Two windows cast light, both on the right of the room, high up where they could not be reached.

In the cage of a lecture theatre, Ruby and Yang sat together, at the back of the room, as far away from their jailor as possible. They now wore their uniforms, and were idly twiddling their pens and sharing an energy drink. Anybody could mistake them for the delinquents of the class instead of the top performing students.

Ruby finally had a chance to shower this morning, washing away the grime of the prior two days and restoring her hair to perfect condition. She was lazily scrawling away in a notebook when Port called her.

"Oh, um, like, silicone?" Ruby stammered, unaware for a few seconds that she was asked the question.

"Correct!" Port chortled, wandering slowly in front of the large blackboard. "Now, let's see if your sister is paying attention, shall we?"

Yang visibly was not; she drank from their blue and white can.

"Woah, uh, what?" Yang spluttered some of the drink on her desk. She tried to wipe it off of her papers.

"Ms. Xiao Long, as our resident motorcyclist, where could one utilise silicone on a motorbike?" He raised an eyebrow, noticeable even from their distance.

"The handlebars, I guess." Yang shrugged.

"Good, good, though I wish you would express a bit more confidence in that answer." Port twirled his moustache. "Now, who else in this class desires the need to tame the wild beasts known as cars and motorcycles?"

Port's question went unanswered, mainly because nobody understood the question.

"Who's learning to drive?" Port flatly asked, amending his prior question.

Now that they knew, most of the class raised their hands. Perhaps it was to be expected that those studying engineering would take an interest in cars.

Except Ruby. Being the only student with their hand down, Port naturally targeted her.

"Ms. Rose? You're not?"

"I'm not old enough." Ruby sighed, hand on chin.

Occasionally, some would forget that Ruby was only sixteen.

She entered college two years earlier than any other student, and life in Beacon always reminded her of this fact, not that it really affected her. She became aware of this once more, now singled out because of her age in this room of eighteen year olds.

She had no need to feel intimidated by the age difference, especially in Engineering class. Ruby was by no means a 'tough' person, but, sans Port, she knew more about the subject than anybody in this room. If anything, everything she had been taught last year was too easy for her, not that she would admit as such. It would just give professors an excuse to pile more work on her work.

Besides, she was the sister of Yang Xiao Long. Nobody would dare intimidate her.

"Ah, of course. But you will when you turn seventeen, correct?"

Being in the U.K, Ruby needed to be seventeen before she could obtain her provisional licence, but even then, she really didn't feel like learning to drive.

"Probably not." Ruby frankly answered.

"No? May I ask why?"

Did Ruby need a reason? She didn't want to learn to drive, so she wouldn't. Was it just expected of her or something? Was it the 'grown up' thing to do?

"It's more trouble than it's worth." Ruby said the first excuse that came to mind that also wouldn't come across as rude. Though rude excuses certainly hovered in her mind.

"And she couldn't reach the pedals, anyway." Yang added, smirking.

The classroom as a whole sniggered at Yang's remark. Their laughter was not malicious, but Ruby disliked the fact that she was made the butt of the joke.

Pouting, Ruby snatched Yang's drink and finished it.

"Come now, settle down, everybody." Port pacified them. The room fell silent again.

Class continued as normal for the next ten minutes. To Ruby, normal merely meant daydreaming and copying anything on the blackboard. She wondered how many students did this too. How many only gave off the pretence of paying attention when they were actually considering what to do later in the day?

Naturally, in this instance, Ruby considered where she would be taking Neo on their date today. She wanted to do better than a café, but anywhere else might be too crowded for Neo's tastes. She wanted to ask Neo herself where she would like to go, but the ice cream haired girl already said 'surprise me' yesterday. Clearly, she wanted Ruby to choose.

Before long, the bell rang. The end of their lesson finally arrived.

The students packed their belongings. Ruby slid her papers messily into a backpack, dropping a few before forcibly stuffing them inside, trying to make haste in her exit. Everybody else made noise as they left, scraping chairs or brushing against the tables, engaging in banter about any topic they could think of.

Ruby's reasoning for trying to leave as quickly as possible happened to be Port. If there was something she disliked more than professors, it was being their star student. And being the star student, she had a tendency to be dragged into more conversations than she would like with her professors.

Unfortunately, her decision to sit at the back now proved to be her folly. As she and Yang shuffled through the other students, Port's loud voice rang over all others.

"Ms. Rose, may I have a moment of your time?"

Ruby grimaced, her hand already on the doorframe. Some students barged by her, one offering their condolences.

Yang slapped her on the back.

"Later, Rubes. I need to go find Blake." Yang cheerfully declared.

With that, the blonde bounced outside, door swinging back and forth.

After a minute, the classroom emptied out, bar Ruby and Port.

Wind lightly battered the high windows. Port sank his large body into a chair behind a desk, the seat audibly creaking. He took out a black laptop from a briefcase on the floor, opening it on the desk and typing at a few keys.

Ruby stood in front of him, hands on her backpack, waiting for the conversation to begin. She carried some annoyance on her face.

"I won't keep you long, Ms. Rose, I just wanted to check up on you." Port stared at his laptop while casually saying this, but looked up afterwards. His thin eyes locked onto her.

Check up on her? He could only have meant her studies, and not her actual wellbeing, nor her emotional state. Only her friends and family knew about her breakdown when she and Velvet broke up, and they preferred to keep it this way.

Besides, no professor really cared about a student's wellbeing. Ruby knew it.

"Okay…" Ruby muttered. She had no desire to be here.

"Now that you've encroached upon the second year of college, how do you find your studies? Do you find the classes too difficult?"

"No, not at all." Ruby simply stated.

"Ah, I don't mean to demean you, of course." Port chuckled, moustache moving. "I'm just a little concerned that you're too young to be at this stage of your education, but it seems there is no cause for concern."

"Right. You don't have to be worry about me. At all. Like, don't even think of me, ever."

Ruby thought her response would display her abhorrence of people like him a little too much. She stood, hands behind her back, glancing away. Port didn't notice anything strange.

"Come now, Ms. Rose, I need to keep my greatest pupil in my thoughts!" He chortled. "You're destined for great things in the future, and at such a young age. I, naturally, must help you however I can."

"You've said this before, sir." Ruby played with her hair nonchalantly, not truly interested in his words.

"I have? Eh, I need to get my point across." Port twirled his facial hair. "I have no doubts you will pass your exams with flying colours, especially with me to sculpt your mind. Every professor in Beacon expects you to be our brightest student for years to come."

What a selfish old man.

Ruby broke down his words in her mind.

'She would pass her exam with flying colours?' Was that supposed to be a compliment? This idiot didn't realise how painful those words were to hear. He applied a heavy burden on her shoulders, one that forced her to push herself as hard as possible to meet his hopes. Did he care about the effects it might have on her? Of course not, he was a professor. People like him never really cared.

'Especially with me to sculpt your mind?' What, was he supposed to be her designer? Was he supposed to shape Ruby how he saw fit? As expected, he never saw Ruby as a person, just a project, something to add to his list of accomplishments, like a trinket on his shelf. Sure, he might be able to turn students into successes, but not for their sake; for his own. He just wanted to be responsible for a success story.

And her favourite. 'Every professor in Beacon expects you to be our brightest student for years to come.'

They expected it of her? How entitled could professors get? It was like she had no choice but to meet their lofty standards, just because it was what they wanted. And she knew they wanted this from her, so they could force her on a pedestal to be an example for future students. What if she couldn't meet their expectations, one of the heaviest burdens in her heart? She already had her fair share of burdens to deal with, yet here were the professors, hammering her with 'expectations' without a care for her health.

And even though she knew why Port's words bothered her so much, she could do nothing to stop them from affecting her. Ruby felt her frustration in her throat, vying to be free.

"Ms. Rose? Is something the matter?" Port asked. He could see that something bothered Ruby.

She wanted to say something. As much as annoyance tried to escape her lips, Ruby lacked the courage to voice it to an authority figure. She was not a strong person. She hated expressing anger, and preferred to keep it bottled. Being angry just led to more problems.

"Can I go now?" She quietly asked.

"Oh, ah, yes." Port cleared his throat. He may have sensed ennui from Ruby. "I'm sure you have other lessons to att-"

Ruby slammed shut the door behind her, cutting off Port's voice.

"Waste of time…" Ruby muttered.

* * *

Ruby's next lesson of the day was Food Studies, which she took with Weiss. The pair always met in front of their classroom before entering, and today was no exception.

Ruby strolled in the corridor, passing other students as they walked to their lessons, taking in their chatter. They were louder than usual today, and Ruby couldn't place why.

She brushed against the grey wall opposite several classroom entrances, which were covered in work from previous students. This building was not solely for cooking classes, but for other types of technology related subjects, too, including I.T and Textile Design. It showed in the work scattered on the grey wall, ranging from clothing to student-made box art.

As Ruby continued towards the end of the well-lit corridor, where her classroom lay, treading upon the dark green carpet, she became aware that the voices she heard did not come from the nearby students, but rather, from her very classroom. Loud voices filled the small hallway, echoing from its walls and packing the entire building in shouts.

Ruby only ever met with Weiss when she headed for this class, but to her surprise, three other people were present.

"How is that at all my fault?" Weiss noisily questioned.

Neo, Emerald and Cinder stood in the classroom's doorway with Weiss. The wooden doorframe acted like a portal to their discussion, and when Ruby passed through it, she could never go back. The classroom stood behind them, white countertops and floor barely visible past their bodies.

Neo noticed Ruby first, as she did not actively participate in their conversation. Her parasol swung from her wrist.

"Hey, Neo. Hey, everyone." Ruby happily raised her hand.

Everybody other than Neo seemingly ignored her.

The smaller girl waved and smiled, then bounded through the doorframe to join her. They stared at each other for a few seconds, both with their own sentences to say, but lacking the means to communicate.

Today, Neo's eyes were purple, and positively entrancing to Ruby. The dark purple juxtaposed her light appearance, the flawless amethysts captivating their beholder.

Ruby continued to stare into Neo's stunning eyes. This would be the point where Neo would comment on Ruby's exacerbated gaze, but neither carried their whiteboards, and they didn't want to empty their bags to find spare paper to write on. However, even if they could talk to each other, there were more pressing matters at hand.

"They're beautiful." Ruby mumbled.

Neo looked confused. Ruby's lip movements were so small in her statement that Neo could not interpret them.

Ruby managed to break away, and refocused on Weiss, Emerald and Cinder.

"Because you were the one who got the facts wrong." Emerald spouted as Ruby re-entered the conversation.

Emerald fiercely pointed a finger at Weiss. Cinder stood back, letting them have their argument.

"I got it wrong?" Weiss stamped her foot, the slam echoing through the hallway. "The issue surrounding double liability was your topic to handle, not mine!"

And just like that, Ruby had no idea what they were discussing.

Cinder walked through the duo, standing next to Ruby. Her arms were crossed, eyes rolling from the inability to care.

"They're arguing about something they did in a Law class, in case you're interested." Cinder spoke and signed.

"Oh. Yeah, I'm even more clueless now." Ruby shrugged.

Emerald snapped to Cinder, followed by Weiss.

"Cinder, it wasn't just 'something,' it was an incredibly important presentation!" Emerald shouted, though the anger was directed at Weiss.

"That's right!" Weiss also spoke in the same tone. "And because of this fool, we ended up with an A grade!"

Seriously? That was all Ruby could think of. An A was an incredible grade, but they treated it like the end of the world.

"Woe is you." Ruby taunted.

"I'm glad somebody understands my situation." Weiss smirked, completely misunderstanding Ruby's intention. "It could have been an A star, but Emerald just had to make an amateurish mistake."

"My God, Princess, I'm through with this argument." Emerald scowled.

"Thank you for conceding." Weiss put hands to hips, satisfied.

"I'm not conceding anything, because there's not even anything to lose." Emerald leaned on the doorframe, trying to be as nonchalant regarding the topic as possible, pretending it didn't faze her. "You just got pissy because the grade could have been _slightly_ better. I've decided to take the grade and move on because it means I don't have to talk to you anymore."

"You're right. It could have been better. It should have been better. And next time, it will be better." Weiss firmly said, boring holes into Emerald. "Anything less is worthless. Trash, refuse, nothing."

Weiss' attitude turned cold, fortifying her attempt to maintain superiority. The imposing chill she instilled in the others only reflected off of Emerald.

"What? Why are you so obsessed with this? Just take the good grade and move on, too." Emerald barely stopped herself from snarling.

"Because I expect better of myself. I know I'm capable of the best grades."

Ruby's heart skipped a beat at the mention of 'expect.' She had never considered that expectations were something one could enforce upon themselves. Was it for better or for worst that somebody could pressure themselves in such a way?

Emerald stared at Weiss, hands on her hips. Her eyes were focused, as if analysing Weiss' very being. Was she reaching the same conclusions as Ruby, wondering if it was okay to be so harsh on oneself?

"There's something wrong with you Schnees. Something dire."

Weiss' brief coldness ended. Her eyes melted from daggers into puddles. All it took was a single mention of her family name.

"I beg your pardon? You don't know me or my family." Her voice turned an octave higher.

"I know you both better than you think." Emerald asserted with confidence.

"Because you're some faux psychologist?" Weiss tried to gain the offensive again.

"No. Because the Schnee Corporation owned our orphanage."

"W-What…?"

Weiss stepped back, eyes completely opened for the first time in this argument.

This came not just as a surprise to Weiss, but to Ruby also. Ruby shot a glance at Cinder, waiting for confirmation, and the look on the taller girl's face formed a grimace, as if she did not want this fact to be let slip.

Emerald put a foot towards Weiss, forcefully advancing on her with a less than amicable attitude. So much so, fear flickered in Weiss' eyes.

"And, believe it or not, the Schnee family never did anything to improve our conditions in that orphanage. You never did anything to help me, or Neo, or Mercury and Cinder. I guess your family was too busy trying to perfect its own existence."

"Oh… But, but I couldn't…" Weiss stammered, overwhelmed by Emerald's proximity.

Cinder stepped in. She put her hands on Emerald's shoulders and turned her, so that they looked each other in the eyes. Emerald was surprised by the interruption, almost trying to shake away Cinder's hands.

"That's enough, Emerald." Cinder adopted a more serious edge than usual.

"But, Cinder, she-"

"I said that's enough. Did Weiss ever mention that she wants to impress her family, or be like them?" Cinder's grip may have been rough, but it brought Emerald into subservience.

"Uh, no, she didn't…" Emerald had to look away from Cinder, mouth twisting like the words were poisonous.

"So let's leave her family out of this. Besides, I don't believe she was ever in a position to help us, so don't take your frustrations out on her." Cinder's final words contained a casual tone, like she was trying to turn the situation light-hearted, or show that there was no reason for anger.

Cinder let go of Emerald, the pea haired girl shuffling back, arms crossed. Ruby guessed that she wasn't too happy with being conciliated in front of others.

"…Fine."

Emerald walked away.

Initially, Weiss looked as though she would boil over in rage, but as the conversation drew to a close, she became more solemn. The heiress watched Emerald disappear into the corridor, then bowed her head slightly.

Cinder may have defended Weiss, but by no means sided with her.

"Can't you two just get along? Emerald can be a nice person, I promise you. You just have to meet her attitude halfway, or about ninety percent of the way."

Weiss remained silent, as if it were her answer.

"Well, that's enough of that." Cinder flicked her hair. "We have lessons to attend."

Neo read her lips and actions. She knew that their conversation reached an end.

Neo signed at Cinder, though she turned to face Ruby. Cinder laughed with Neo's words.

"And what are you two doing later, then?" Cinder put a hand to her hip.

"Huh?" Ruby's eyes widened in surprised. "What did Neo just say?"

"She said you're taking her on a date."

Neo smirked at Ruby, having no issue with declaring it, and challenging Ruby to hide it. Of course, Ruby would happily state for the world that she was taking Neo on a date.

"Yup. And I've got a good place to take you." Ruby somewhat lied, tapping Neo on the shoulder. She wanted to speak to Neo, not Cinder, who translated. She had a decent place to take Neo, but she had a feeling that the ice cream haired girl wouldn't mind.

Neo responded with some gestures.

"She says that she'll meet you in your art room at three."

Ruby nodded. The college day was over at that time. Though she didn't know why Neo wanted to meet in the art room.

Words failed to express how excited Ruby was for their date. Fortunately, words were not needed. Nothing special would happen, but she looked forward to simply spending some alone time with Neo. She needed to suppress the fluttering in her heart that threatened to make her lightly bounce up and down in glee.

"I'll see you there."

Neo smiled and brandished her parasol.

Waving a farewell, she turned on her high heels and strolled away. She managed to avoid scraping the walls with her parasol, despite the fact that she hardly walked straight. In spite of her walking pattern, she maintained a sense of elegance and grace, even when she brushed shoulders with a doorframe.

"I'm off. Enjoy your date, Ruby."

Cinder also started to walk away. She said nothing to Weiss, but waved at her nonetheless, solidifying Ruby's theory that she did not particularly enjoy Weiss' company, but still wanted to at least remain amicable, unlike Emerald.

Their footsteps became quieter, and only Ruby and Weiss remained.

"I can't fathom those people." Weiss stated. She said it with conviction, but bore slight sadness on her face.

"I hope that's not because of class differences." Ruby gulped.

"Of course not!" Some life returned to Weiss, as she pouted and leaned in on Ruby. "What kind of elitist snob do you take me for?"

"I really don't want to answer that…" Ruby leaned back, freezing under Weiss' glare.

"Smart. Let's get this lesson over with."

Weiss whipped around and entered the classroom. Ruby followed her.

Their Food Studies class could only be described as pristine. Polished floors, white countertops, sparkling windows that revealed the green courtyard below, it served as quite the contrast to Ruby's other classrooms. In fact, she would go as far as to say that this was one of her favourite rooms in the entire college.

It smelled somewhat of disinfectant, but it just meant the room was clean and ready to be used. Each countertop had been wiped down by the previous class, all of them containing a silver faucet, a cabinet with utensils, a flat surface, and a roll of sheets.

The room itself held a whiteboard on one wall, opposite the series of work stations, scribbles in blue detailing a recipe. A tall fridge sat on both sides, covered in colourful magnets by the professor of this class. The professor himself had not arrived yet, leaving a plain desk near the whiteboard look conspicuously empty.

Within the bright classroom, only a few students had arrived. The rest of the class had yet to file in. Ruby and Weiss placed their bags on their respective countertops, close to the single non-white wall, coloured green and grey. Their images were reflected in the floor with each movement.

The pair set about preparing their stations. Weiss fetched a red and white chopping board for herself, then another set for Ruby, manoeuvring around other students.

"Ruby…" Weiss started, sounding uncertain of herself, like she had no idea how to bring up a subject. She laid out their chopping boards.

"What's up?" Ruby casually asked, washing her hands in the faucet.

"Have you spoken with Yang today?"

Ruby and Yang spoke almost every single day, and Weiss knew that. Therefore, Weiss was asking about whether or not they had discussed a specific topic, and Ruby already knew what.

It wasn't just Yang who was concerned with Ruby seeking a new relationship. Weiss and Blake, her best friends, also had their own worries. Ruby suspected that the three had spoken about her yesterday, and nominated Yang to be the one to discuss it with her. She didn't mind at all, and was glad that they cared for her.

"Yup."

"And you're okay?"

"Yup."

"Good. Me and Blake love you as well, Ruby." Weiss anxiously cleared her throat. She held her wrists, quietly tapping her toes on the floor, not used to expressing herself.

"Aw, that's so sweet." Ruby giggled. "I love you and Blake, too."

Ruby searched a cabinet for knives and rolling pins. She grasped one of each. Weiss tried to maintain her cold persona.

"There's no need for you-"

Weiss stopped with a sharp gasp.

She swiftly lunged forward in one quick motion, becoming a white blur, and placed both of her hands over Ruby's left wrist. Ruby had no clue what was happening, as Weiss became transfixed on their hands, head low.

Then Ruby realised it. She held the knife in her left hand.

"Weiss…"

Ruby darkly sighed, swinging her head towards her friend. Weiss gripped her left hand harder than necessary, staring into the metal blade, scarred left eye reflected back at her.

Weiss snapped out of her trance as quickly as she entered it.

"Oh." Weiss simply said. "I'm sorry."

She pulled back, letting Ruby's hand go free, and shook her head, ponytail swinging back and forth.

"It's fine." Ruby placed the knife and rolling pin on her countertop. "I know it's difficult to trust me with anything sharp again. You especially."

Weiss stared at the floor, unsure of how to respond. She lightly scratched her scar, likely without realising it.

Just as Yang said. Ruby was not the only one who was hurt that week. Everybody she knew had frightful memories of her breakdown, and sometimes, more than that. However, Ruby never intended to cause harm, and her friends knew it.

"I do trust you, Ruby. I swear. Forgive my reflex."

"Do you want to pretend that didn't happen?"

"I do."

There was nothing more to it.

Ruby squeezed Weiss' hand in a display of friendliness. Weiss cheered up quickly, forgetting her fears and reservations.

* * *

Their Food Studies lesson went as normal. Still being the first week of the new college year, nothing particularly exciting happened, and they were taught nothing new. Their professor merely provided a recipe for a key lime pie and asked them to make it, making the class more of a cooking class instead of a Food Studies lesson. The professor hardly cared, and sipped his coffee while reading a paper.

The upshot of this lesson was that Ruby and Weiss walked out of class carrying large pies, which they would share with their friends later. Each held a plate wrapped in tin foil, balanced on a single hand. Together, they stepped into the grey hallway, their soft footsteps cushioned under the green carpet.

"What a thorough waste of my time." Weiss spouted. "I could have done something actually productive in the previous hour."

"Me too." Ruby added.

"No you wouldn't."

"I know…"

They both strolled through the green and grey corridor, guarding their pies from passing students. They reached a set of glass doors, which led into a junction with a set of stairs leading up on the left, a path further into the block straight ahead, and a window revealing the courtyard's ocean of green grass to their right.

Weiss came to a stop in the junction, Ruby almost bumping into her, as a new noise filled the air.

It sounded like a ringtone, coming from Weiss. Ruby had heard it before, recognising it as music from an eight-bit game, she believed from Megaman.

Weiss reached into her uniform's inner pocket and quickly accepted the call, ending the retro music. She brought a sleek smartphone to her ear.

"Hello?"

Weiss and Ruby leaned against the windowsill, swathes of green behind them. The heiress said nothing for a minute, listening to the person on the other end.

"Really…?" Weiss responded, eyes wide. Ruby could hear nothing from the other person.

Whoever it was, and whatever they said, it made Weiss smile.

"Alright, I'll be right there."

Elated, Weiss ended the short call. She deposited the smartphone in her pocket. Ruby knew at this point that Weiss would be leaving, but they both stayed still for a second, as if the heiress had no idea how to walk away without appearing rude.

"Who was it?" Ruby asked.

"Winter." Weiss swiftly responded, unable to hide her joy.

"You mean the one person in the world who doesn't make you miserable?"

"Correction. The one person who doesn't make me miserable if I spend more than five minutes around them."

"Fine. Say hi for me."

"Why would I do that?"

With that final taunt and possible jab at their social standing, Weiss strolled away with a spring in her step, still carrying her pie. So much for not being elitist, Ruby thought.

Ruby had no more lessons today, her Art and Design class not taught on Wednesdays. As such, she decided to head back to her dormitory until three this afternoon, when she would meet Neo for their date.

Now being twelve, lunchtime, three hours would be a long time to wait, and Ruby knew just how agonising they would be. She was not afraid of making mistakes on a date, nor was she worried about being boring or failing to be a good companion. She just wanted to go out now and have a good time with Neo.

On the way to her dormitory, Ruby continued to walk through the grey and green block of classrooms and hallways. The building was now vacant, absent of noise bar the autumn wind battering the windows.

Ruby approached a pair of white doors that led outside. But before she could push them open, she heard a voice coming from a classroom. It was not aimed at her, but it made her pause nonetheless.

"Mr. Black, if you're so intent on wasting your future, I will not stop you." Came a female voice.

It belonged to professor Goodwitch. Ruby considered this a good enough reason to leave immediately, but she became interested in the conversation when she heard the response.

"Wasting my future?" Pfft." This arrogant voice belonged to Mercury. "My future's all set, and I don't need anyone to tell me otherwise. Definitely not some two-bit teacher."

Ruby found herself drawn in, and approached the classroom. She peered in, hiding most of her body behind the wall and doorframe to avoid being seen.

In the small classroom comprised of cluttered, red desks and chairs, Mercury sat back, feet up, like he had no cares in the world. His blazer was thrown on his chair, revealing his white shirt cuffs undone. Opposite him, Goodwitch gritted her teeth, hands on the desk, leaning forward and on the brink of fury.

"It's set? You know with certainty what you'll do after leaving college when you only study two subjects? I beg to differ."

"Shows what you know. Don't talk like you know me." Mercury flicked his hair, one arm lazily swinging by his side.

Goodwitch growled.

"I don't, but I do know about the subjects you're taking, and you should know that you need to take three A-levels in Beacon, not two."

"Tch…" Mercury had no real response to this.

"I will give you this last chance. Pick up a third A-level or an equivalent within the next week, or face expulsion." Goodwitch withheld her anger, settling for a firm response.

"Yeah, yeah…" Mercury waved her off.

Satisfied, but certainly not happy, Goodwitch whipped around, clipboard in hand.

Ruby quickly dipped away, so that she would not be caught eavesdropping. Even so, she would be directly in Goodwitch's line of sight when the professor walked outside, with no chance of escaping. Hopefully, she had nothing to say to Ruby.

When Goodwitch exited the classroom, she faced Ruby, stopping dead in her tracks. She seemed taken aback, not expecting to see the girl.

Ruby could have sprinted for the door leading outside before Goodwitch saw her, but she wanted to speak with Mercury, having seen him the least of the group of the four newcomers. She crossed her fingers that Goodwitch had no need of her.

"Ms. Rose? Excellent timing…"

It was too much to ask for.

"Yes?" Ruby sighed.

Goodwitch flicked through several papers on her clipboard. The shadows of the rustling pages flickered across the wall, as Ruby stared at the floor.

"It seems that your Japanese Studies reached an end last year, and with an excellent grade."

"Yep…"

During the first year of college, Ruby took an AS level in Japanese Studies, meaning she only studied it for one year.

Ruby enjoyed Japanese Studies. It was not exactly a conventional subject, but that was what made it entertaining. Of course, she was no near close to being fluent in the language, but knew enough to sound smart if somebody asked her on the basics. Really, pretending to be smart was all one needed to do when being questioned on their subjects.

"As such, you are now only studying three subjects?" Goodwitch asked blankly, like she had repeated this process with many other students.

"That's right."

Goodwitch adjusted her glasses.

"In such a case, do you have an interest in taking up an enrichment course to fill in the newly-found gaps in your timetable?"

Ruby almost answered instantly with a resounding 'no.' Not just to end the conversation, but because she liked the amount of free time she now had this year.

An enrichment course coveted a wide array of small fields that could not be studied as full A-levels, from gardening to debate clubs. How much time they would take up per week depended on the course, but Ruby decided that any course would use too much of her time.

At least, that was her first thought. An idea dawned on Ruby.

"Can I study sign language?"

"Sign language?" Goodwitch looked surprised. How many times had she been asked that in her career? Ruby was willing to bet this was the first.

"Just out of curiosity." Ruby added, tilting her head.

"Well, sign language is not in our curriculum…" Goodwitch pondered, tapping a pen to her clipboard.

"That's too bad…" Ruby rolled her eyes. The one thing she wanted to study was not even available to her.

"However," Goodwitch started, "if you of all people ask for it, I suppose I can find a way to make it happen."

Because Ruby was Beacon's star pupil, Goodwitch was willing to try and start a sign language class? This was the first time Ruby appreciated her label, and likely the last.

"Nice!" Ruby responded. "So when-"

Goodwitch already rudely walked away. It seemed the sign language class would be available at her convenience, not Ruby's.

This was quite a nice turn of events, Ruby thought. Of course she wanted to learn sign language so she could be closer to Neo. If they were going to spend so much time together in the future, they couldn't communicate with writing for the entire duration. She didn't even know if Neo really enjoyed using written communication.

Goodwitch's footsteps became quieter until they stopped entirely. Now, Ruby stood alone in the corridor.

"Heh, sign language? Gee, I wonder why you want to study that." Mercury's voice, dripping with sarcasm, came from the classroom.

Ruby nearly forgot about Mercury, sitting inside the classroom.

She wasn't sure of what to make of the boy. If he was a friend of Neo, Emerald and Cinder, he must be a nice person to an extent. However, his discussion with Goodwitch just now made Ruby question this. He started to strike her as more of a miscreant.

She walked inside, joining the jungle of red chairs and tables. Mercury sat in the same position, his legs slung across a desk, hands behind his head. No person had ever looked so nonchalant, Ruby thought, especially after being threatened with expulsion.

"I guess it's pretty obvious." Ruby wasn't sure of what to say, so addressed his statement.

"Well, looks like Goodwitch's gonna come through for you." Mercury yawned, at least being friendly towards Ruby.

"You don't like her, I see." Ruby sat on a desk, holding her pie in both hands.

"Neither do you. I can tell." He stated as a matter of fact.

Was it really that obvious? Ruby thought her disdain for professors was well hidden, but Mercury saw through it, and barely looked like he paid attention to anything around him.

"Yeah. But professors don't really argue with me." Ruby admitted.

"Good for you." Mercury smirked, not actually intending to mock her. "I get arguments all the time, in case you didn't tell."

There could have been a variety of reasons for this, though his attitude was probably a primary source of annoyance amongst his professors. Ruby would be lying if she said that she wasn't intimidated by his imposing nature.

She remembered that on the first day, he and Yang went straight into a fight before they even got to know each other. He probably found great solace in finding somebody just as hot headed as himself.

This being the case, Ruby needed to know; what subjects was he studying in college with his friends? He seemed to be an athlete instead of an academic, but here he was, studying A levels for the sake of a shared goal.

"Why are you only studying two subjects?" Ruby asked, this being the reason for his argument with Goodwitch.

"Because they're all I need to study."

Simple enough. He isn't the type of person to put in more effort than necessary.

"What are they?"

"A computer programming course, and an I.T A-level."

These were not subjects she expected from Mercury. Far from it. He didn't seem to be the computer loving type. However, this raised a thought in Ruby's mind.

Emerald studied Psychology, Law and I.T. Neo studied Art and Design, Textile Design, and I.T.

What in the Hell did they want to do? What profession combined these subjects? Would learning Cinder's subjects even let her put the pieces together?

It wasn't worth thinking about at this point. No doubt Neo would tell her some time in the future.

"Why do you study those subjects?" She inquired.

"I'm just doing what my friends expect me to do. They want me to do these subjects, so I will. I'm counting on them to uphold their end of the bargain." He shrugged, slinging his blazer onto his shoulder.

There was the word 'expect' again, and this time, it resulted from Mercury's friends dropping their expectations on him. Not that he seemed to care. Ruby doubted that anything could pressure him. It must be nice to be so carefree, Ruby thought.

At this point, Mercury must have gotten bored of conversing with her. They were still hanging out in an empty classroom during the middle of the school day, after all. Cracking his knuckles, Mercury started to move.

He rose from his chair, donning his blazer on both shoulders. This was the first time Ruby managed to look him in the eyes. He resembled Cinder to an extent, mainly in his blasé outlook to most things around him, evidenced by his uncaring and half open eyes.

"You're Summer's daughter, right?"

Ruby should have expected this to be referenced at some point. She was also, however, expecting a cleaner segue than that.

"Yup. My mom took care of you and your friends." Ruby confirmed.

"Heh…" Mercury's dark chuckle served as his response, like he heard something funny and depraved. "You know, I didn't know what to expect from you when Neo told me."

"What do you mean…?" Ruby quietly asked, drumming her fingers on the table.

"Pfft, let's not get too deep into it." Mercury waved her off. "Cind, Em and Neo tell me you're a good person, and that's all that matters. Definitely blew up my expectations."

Ruby fell into silence. She stared at the side of Mercury, unthinking, unmoving, listening to the sound of students outside, engaged in their own banter.

She did not want to read into Mercury's words.

Mercury spun a silver phone on his finger. Ruby never saw him take it out.

"On the side, you're Neo's new crush, too? And Yang's kid sister?"

"Yeah." Ruby pushed her fingertips together, unsure of where he was going with this.

"In that case, we're gonna be seeing a whole lot of each other." Mercury flicked his hair. It made Ruby think of a generic handsome boy in an anime, whom girls would swoon over on sight. She wouldn't be surprised if a club of fangirls were waiting outside right now.

He wasn't talking about Ruby and Mercury themselves seeing each other. He meant their friends altogether.

"Yeah." Ruby repeated. "I think we're all gonna have fun together."

"Seems that way." Mercury said as he started walking past her. "Get along with my friends, Ruby."

He was more serious in this single instance, though his tone failed to convey it. It was nice to know that he cared about something, Ruby thought.

She also wanted to say the same to him, but lacked the confidence to give him any sort of command.

"Of course I will."

"Good." Mercury stretched his shoulder out, like he was getting ready for something. "I'm hitting up the town. Don't wait up."

Instead of using his time to follow Goodwitch's command, he decided to go to the town Beacon resided in and walked out, leaving Ruby behind. His shadow disappeared from the doorframe.

That was the end of that. With nothing to do and nobody to talk to, Ruby took up her pie and headed for her dormitory, so that she could wile away a few hours until her date.

* * *

At the designated time, Ruby stood in her Art and Design room, alone.

Nothing changed since her first lesson of the year two days ago. The room was a coordinated mess, its tables lined up neatly, but each cluttered with art work left behind by students so they could resume tomorrow. The walls were painted in a pleasant cream, but crammed with beautiful yet hectic drawings and a large whiteboard. The windows let in light, but they were in dire need of cleaning. There was very little room to manoeuvre, and Ruby stood by her professor's computer in the corner, so that she knocked nothing over.

The one thing that did change is Ruby's appearance. Abandoning her uniform, she now wore a grey shirt and red pinafore along with her usual skirt and leggings. Her red scarf hung loosely around her neck, ending at her black and red boots.

She always completely covered her legs, no matter what, and in this case, she wore her usual black stockings. She felt self-conscious about showing her legs after her incident with Velvet. At the very least, no matter if she wore stockings with her skirt or wore trousers, the article always fit the rest of her clothing, even with something as simple as her grey shirt. She only wore the red pinafore for the sake of a colour theme.

While waiting, Ruby was putting something under consideration; At what point should Ruby tell Neo that she planned on learning sign language? It may be best to wait until the class was actually underway first, seeing as Goodwitch might not get it started for a while yet. Maybe Ruby could leave it as a surprise. Or maybe that would be stupid. Or maybe she could get Neo to teach her.

As Ruby twiddled her thumbs in thought, she eventually heard footsteps outside.

Neo could be seen through the window, trees behind her. Her parasol blocked out Ruby's view of the dormitories beyond the courtyard. She approached the glass door, and pushed it open.

Ruby had not expected Neo to be a savant of fashion. She wore a black corset and white and pink jacket that slightly exposed her hips, as well as black trousers and high boots. Her tastes looked expensive. No doubt Cinder allowed them to freeload off of her money made as a writer.

Her eyes remained purple, the one aspect out of place in her white and pink oriented fashion. Clearly being somebody concerned with appearances, she should have known that purple broke her colour theme, so Ruby assumed this decision was intentional.

Neo's necklaces rattled as she offered a wave of greeting at Ruby, brightly smiling.

Ruby jumped up to meet her, hands in lap. She tried not to look too eager as she hopped in front of Neo. They faced one another, waiting for the other to say something.

Somehow.

How exactly were they going to talk? They didn't carry the whiteboards, which were cumbersome and might even look silly in public. They carried no pens or paper, and Ruby did not know sign language. Yet.

Then Neo took out her phone. A relatively cheap, pink model that did not fit her appearance. It carried no customisations.

 _'_ _Howdy, cutie.'_ Neo typed out her message. She used a text document app, which allowed different fonts.

Ruby brought out her own phone, a rather plain, red model, and responded.

 **'** **Hi!**

 **'** **You look nice.'**

Neo giggled, cutely swinging to Ruby's side.

 _'_ _Aw, thanks. You look adorable.'_

Ruby blushed, turning on her coy nature on command.

Ruby still wanted to know why they were in the art room. They could have met in town, or at the college gates so they could leave together. She might as well get this topic out of the way before they could engage in typical light hearted banter.

 **'** **Is there something you need here?'**

 _'_ _We need to pick up the work we missed yesterday.'_

Ruby completely forgot about this. She was surprised her other professors did not mention this. In fact, she was more surprised that Neo was the one to bring attention to this. For some reason, Ruby assumed that Neo was not altogether a studious person.

Neo pointed at the large whiteboard. It instructed Ruby and Neo to find the worksheets on different artistic styles in the closet. Several words were scrawled on it, left behind by professor Peach.

'Ruby, Neopolitan, I've left an assignment for you in the red box in the closet. One week deadline.

'A janitor is coming by this afternoon. She'll get the box for you if you can't reach it.'

Ruby perhaps should have paid more attention to her surroundings. She shrugged off the thought.

 **'** **You know, I never thought you would be the type to chase after work like this. We probably could get away without doing it. You know, pretend we never came here and never saw the message.'**

Neo's expression turned blank.

It lasted for a second, but it left an impression on Ruby. Neo might have demonstrated some offence at Ruby's suggestion, but didn't want to let it show. How odd.

Neo beckoned Ruby towards the closet, regaining her casual smile. She left her parasol on a desk, carefully to avoid somebody's drying painting.

They steered around a pair of desks as they reached the cream closet door. Neo stood to its side, letting Ruby enter first. Ruby pushed the door open, revealing the dark interior. She struggled to find the light switch, and after fumbling on the walls, she found it, and had to force her thumb into it as hard as possible to make the light activate.

Ruby stepped into the faintly lit closet, feeling a chill in the unheated space. Neo followed, quite comfortable with the confined space, so much so that she was visibly tempted to put a hand on Ruby.

Ruby had entered this closet with Cinder and Blake a couple of days ago, and nothing had changed. There was still only enough room for one person, let alone multiple. Many boxes were strewn across the floor, one with a cobweb slung across it. This set off alarm bells in Ruby's mind, as she started looking around the closet for spiders. None on the brown cabinets up high, none on the series of ledges stacked with containers, and none on the art supplies in clear cases on the ground.

 **'** **Neo, there might be spider in here.**

 **'** **Hold me.'**

Ruby looked at Neo with large, fearful eyes, as her phone provided more illumination that the lightbulb. The other girl almost laughed.

 _'_ _You're scared of spiders? Why?_

 _'_ _Sure, they're a little terrifying, but they can be set on fire like any other defenceless creature.'_

Ruby was not in the habit of setting anything on fire. However, Neo admitted that spiders were terrifying, and that provided Ruby comfort in that she was not alone with her fears.

The pair rifled through the closet to find the elusive red box. It did not take long, as Ruby tugged Neo's arm and pointed at the shelf above them. Even in the low lighting, they could see a scarlet plastic box. It was nearly out of their reach.

 **'** **Why are shelves made for people of a specified average in height?'**

 _'_ _Welcome to my world.'_

Ruby took it upon herself to grab the box and, standing on her toes, she managed to scrape the box's edge. It shifted, and she pushed it again. Now, Ruby was able to place both hands on its sides, and she started to retract it while balancing on her toes.

Something crawled across Ruby's hand. She knew what it was.

Ruby sharply screamed and fell backwards, letting go of the box and shaking her hand desperately. The prickling sensation ended immediately as a small black blur was flung outside and into the classroom, flying over Neo's head. In spite of her tough talk, Neo looked more afraid than Ruby when she saw the spider. Maybe she left her lighter in her dormitory, Ruby joked to herself, in the midst of falling down.

Ruby's issue of falling to the ground was rectified as a pair of arms grasped her by the waist. The box dropped with a heavy thud and spilled out its contents, but Ruby was safe as Neo stopped her descent.

When Neo caught Ruby, she swung the taller girl towards the doorframe, struggling to maintain the momentum, but keeping them both safe from harm nonetheless. Neo still held her tight with a single arm while typing.

 _'_ _Careful. I don't want to add to my injury log.'_

 **'** **You record your injuries?'** Ruby responded, letting her heart normalise in pulse. That proved to be quite a fright.

 _'_ _Not mine._

 _'_ _Do you want to know how Mercury hurt his leg six days ago at 1:27PM?'_

This was both disturbing and amusing to Ruby.

Neo still held her close. Although Ruby certainly enjoyed contact, she felt that Neo was doing this for a reason other than flirting or teasing.

 **'** **You don't have to hold me anymore.'**

Neo peered around Ruby and into the classroom first; she was actually using Ruby as a shield from the spider. Ruby almost squealed from how cute Neo's scared face looked in this situation, her eyes quivering.

Neo breathed out and let go.

 _'_ _I wasn't holding you because I'm scared. You're just warm and cuddly.'_

She removed all traces of being unsettled on her face. It reminded Ruby of Weiss.

 **'** **There was a whole nest of spiders up there, not just one.'** Ruby lied.

Neo judged Ruby carefully, lips twisted. Ruby was bad at lying, evidenced by the innate desire to laugh written on her face, and Neo crossed her arms.

She pointed down, at the clutter of papers spilled from the box, as if saying 'shut up and clean this mess.'

Ruby, still suppressing her laugh, did as she was non-verbally told and bent down. She assumed she would be doing this alone at Neo's command, but she was pleased to see the other girl kneel down to help.

It took a minute, and every paper, except for their assignments, had been put back in the red box. Ruby left it on the ground, deciding that trying to put it back was not a wise act. There were several papers to their assignment, ranging from worksheets outlining the task to information sheets detailing historic artists.

 **'** **You know, I always imagined being alone in a closet with a pretty girl would go differently than this.'** Ruby showed.

 _'_ _I'm sorry we're not playing seven minutes in heaven.'_ Neo's mockery came through loud and clear.

 _'_ _We can totally do that some other time, though.'_

Ruby had heard of the game, but never played it.

 **'** **But isn't that only played in parties?'**

 _'_ _I guess so?'_ Neo shrugged.

 _'_ _I'm not sure why you would be finicky about when it could be played.'_

 **'** **It's just not as special if you could do it whenever you want.**

 **'** **But I see your point. Let's put it on our to-do list.'**

They mutually smiled. Ruby loved that they could discuss mild promiscuity so casually and without a serious edge.

The lightbulb above them flickered incessantly, threatening to give out. Their phones already served as the main source of brightness, shimmering light on their faces. Ruby rose from the ground first, and offered Neo a hand up.

As Neo let herself be pulled up, her dark eyes sparkled in the light of their phones. This made Ruby think of another topic to touch upon.

 **'** **Why does your eye color keep changing?'**

Neo adopted a look of dead seriousness. Her smile dropped, and she bore her eyes into Ruby, leaning in slightly as if about to divulge an important secret.

 _'_ _I can change my appearance at will.'_

Neo stared at Ruby without changing her deadpan expression. Ruby stepped back in surprise, hand to her chest, taken in by Neo's words and hypnotic eyes.

The Neo silently laughed.

 _'_ _I'm kidding._

 _'_ _Contact lenses. Lots of them.'_

Ruby sighed. Why did she completely believe Neo just then? Maybe because there was no tone of voice to use as a basis for judging Neo's words.

 **'** **You had me going for a minute.'**

Relishing in that Ruby fell for her jest so easily, Neo started typing again.

 _'_ _I was going to change back to pink for this afternoon, but you seemed really taken by my purple eyes earlier._

 _'_ _Are they your favourite so far?'_

Neo glanced at her with a smile, but this time, it was more genuine; she wanted an honest response. This was rather sweet of Neo, Ruby considered. However, Ruby didn't want Neo to feel that she had to dress to impress.

 **'** **You make every eye colour work.**

 **'** **But yeah. Your eyes are beautiful.'**

Ruby had never put so much honesty into typing before. She hoped it showed on her face.

Neo giggled. She closed the short distance between herself and Ruby, an urge on her mind.

Something changed in the closet. At first, Ruby couldn't figure out what it was. She assumed that this was what people meant by 'sexual tension,' but after some deliberation and remembering what if felt like yesterday with Neo, she came to the conclusion that the atmosphere's change was caused by something else.

The closet felt darker than it should have been, despite the lightbulb still being on. Then ruby noticed a light shadow being cast between herself and Neo. Its source originated from the classroom.

Ruby gulped. They were not alone. She quickly whipped her head towards the doorframe, eyes wide.

Velvet.

The single sighting followed by the single name in her mind made Ruby jump back in fright.

Velvet stood in the doorframe, wearing a blue janitor uniform. A plastic tag hung on her lapel, labelled 'voluntary custodian.' Her long, straight brown hair was tied neatly behind her back, and in her hands, she held a mop and a bucket of water. A pair of large, brown eyes wavered to the side, a brief red in her cheeks, unable to look at Ruby.

Judging by her appearance, Velvet was doing janitor work for Beacon, probably just for the sake of claiming she had work experience. This would be the natural time for it.

Velvet gripped the mop tightly, so that it's handle hovered over her at an angle. Her blue uniform, not entirely clean, hung loosely on her shoulders, not the correct size. She would normally wear a small, cute hat with knitted ears, but she wouldn't be able to wear it if her goal was to look official. Even so, Ruby was so used to the hat that she always envisioned it on Velvet.

Ruby had no idea what to say. All three girls stood in place. This change of events came out of nowhere.

"Um, hey there." Velvet plainly said.

"Hey…" Ruby cleared her throat after failing to complete her sentence. "Hey, Velvet."

"Professor Peach wanted me to, uh, clean his room…"

Ruby stared at the ground, off to the side, unable to look at Velvet. How long had the third girl been standing there, watching them? It couldn't have been for long.

Ruby didn't want to see Velvet now, not in front of Neo. She always hoped that she could be on speaking terms with Velvet again, to try and make amends for their horrible breakup.

Velvet never did anything wrong. It was Ruby's inability to handle her pressures that ultimately led to the pair splitting up. And the more she thought about it, the more painful their encounter now became.

Neo, naturally, had no idea what made the situation so awkward, which happened to be more than their curious location.

 _'_ _Hi! Are you a friend of Ruby's?'_

But Neo was more perceptive than that, Ruby knew. She could absolutely tell that there was history of some kind between Ruby and Velvet, and wanted information on it. She was always friendly, but this time, this friendliness towards Velvet was for a different purpose.

Velvet was taken aback by Neo's method of communication.

"Why are you-"

"Deaf." Ruby interjected, without moving her head.

"Oh."

Acknowledging this, Velvet took her smartphone out from the uniform's pocket. She now answered Neo's question.

'Its complicated.' Velvet typed in a simple font, facing Neo. Ambivalent as she may be, at least she chose to confront the topic head-on, unlike Ruby.

Neo eyed her carefully.

 _'_ _So you're not friends?'_

'No. We're ex girlfriends.'

Neo chuckled under her breath.

 _'_ _I see. This is rather awkward then.'_

Velvet nodded, not intending on denying the distance between herself and Ruby.

And then there was a silence. And by silence, this of course meant nobody typed.

Velvet cleared her throat, trying to think of something to say. Ruby just wanted to leave right now. A few seconds passed before somebody made a move.

"I see you two are dressed nicely. Kind of like you're going on a date." Velvet typed it out before saying it.

"That's, well, because we are." Ruby shuffled her feet. It was probably poor etiquette to say as such to an ex-partner.

"Really? I see…"

Velvet tried not to show her surprise, but it was clear as day. Like Yang and her friends, Velvet retained a modicum of doubt that Ruby was stable enough for a relationship. Ruby wanted to believe that this was because Velvet still cared about her, as a friend.

 _'_ _You had your chance."_ Neo teased her, trying to lighten the mood with a smile. At least, that's what Ruby hoped Neo was doing.

Velvet saw no humour in this. She darkly turned her face to the side, fringe covering her eyes. The grip on her phone tightened as she typed nothing.

"You can have her."

Ruby felt the knife twist her heart, painfully shifting her insides, and didn't try to hide it. She deserved the spite. There was nothing else to it.

Velvet must have felt guilty about spouting those four words, as her brown eyes widened. She suddenly became unaware of what to do with her hands, and patted down her uniform for the sake of not appearing to be nervous.

"I'm sorry, Ruby." She scratched the back of her head, regretting her choice of words.

"It's fine." Ruby sighed. "I'll never blame you for being angry."

"I, I'm not, well, angry, but…"

Velvet lost her desire to be here any longer. Deciding to abandon the conversation, she took up her mop in both hands and donned a straight face. She didn't even finish her sentence, even though Ruby wanted to know what else she would say.

"I'm glad you're doing better now, Ruby, really. I've seen you eating normally again since the breakup." Velvet moved to the end of their discussion with no warning. "Take care of yourself."

"Bye…"

Velvet stayed for Ruby's farewell, and gave a look of longing at her. Her brown eyes held sadness as opposed to anger.

Velvet said nothing more as she retreated back into the classroom, dipping her mop into the bucket. She started cleaning the classroom's floor, leaving the other two in the closet. Her back was turned to them, so that she discouraged further conversation and urged them to leave quietly.

Neo did not leave yet.

Ensuring that Velvet was not watching them, Neo typed.

 _'_ _You know, lip reading is pretty difficult…_

 _'…_ _But I'm pretty sure she said I can have you._

 _'_ _And she said something about your eating habits._

 _'_ _What did she mean?'_

That I'm not a particularly stable person who could snap at any time and will cause pain and trouble for anybody associated with me if that happens. Ruby was not going to say that, of course.

Ruby leaned back on the doorframe.

 **'** **It was a bad break up.**

 **'** **I'm sorry that I'm not explaining it. I've gotten reminders of it all day and I'm tired of it.'**

Neo was not satisfied, and Ruby couldn't blame her. It was natural to want closure in this situation. Fortunately, Neo comprehended that this was not easy to talk about.

 _'_ _Okay. I understand._

 _'_ _Can you tell me what happened one day, though?'_

Ruby spun her phone on her finger while making a decision.

 **'** **Soon. I promise.'**

Whether or not Ruby kept that promise would be dependent on how much Neo pressed the matter in the near future. She preferred to get away with avoiding it, if possible.

 _'_ _Alright._

 _'_ _Let's take this stuff back to the dorms.'_

Neo gestured the work in their hands. Ruby had forgotten about it until now.

Ruby wanted a return of their easy-going atmosphere, away from sombre thoughts and serious chatter. It was all she ever wanted.

Before this could happen, they needed to leave this room. Ruby beckoned Neo to follow, and together, they passed behind Velvet, heading outside without another word.

 **HHHHHHHHHH**

They first brought the work back to Ruby's dormitory.

Most of the mess in their dormitory had been cleared up now. The room was surprisingly spacious without the mess of cardboard boxes, allowing them to see the red rug placed on the dark grey floor. The curtains were open, giving a view of the trees in the courtyard and streaming in a grey, natural light, the effects of autumn smothering the outside in gradual darkness. Ruby and Yang's beds were still in disarray, but at this point, they were fixtures of the dormitory.

They placed the work in the kitchenette area, for lack of a desk to put it on. The polished, white countertop could seat four, the four unfixed red chairs scattered around it. Considering that Ruby was most likely of the four to use this area, it was unnaturally clean, though this was due to Weiss' constant need to keep everything sanitary. Even the white framed, glass cabinets had no signs of wear.

Ruby stood at the faucet of the series of appliances and counters, which were arranged collectively in an L-shape, between the black oven on her left and white fridge, covered in souvenir magnets, to her right. A microwave and set of various utensils also occupied the kitchenette's counters, carefully placed in an orderly fashion. Everything was immaculate per Weiss' cleaning, so much so that the red and white drawers and their handles were polished until they sparkled.

Ruby took a plate from the glass cabinet, making sure not to brush the many glasses and bowls inside, and placed it on the countertop in the middle of the area.

There was a reason they had not left yet. Before so, Ruby wanted Neo's opinion on something.

To that end, Neo sat at the countertop, as Ruby brought over the key lime pie she made earlier.

Neo was looking into the worksheets when Ruby came over, like she couldn't let it out of her sights. She still did not look away when Ruby put the plate down, as though transfixed by her work.

She snapped back to life when Ruby then put down her pie. What a curious fixation, Ruby noticed. By now, Ruby recognised that these sorts of details were important, particularly for Neo.

Ruby took up a knife and dug it into the centre, cutting it all the way to the crust. She did the same motion again to form a small slice, then lifted it onto the knife's flat side.

When Ruby placed the slice on Neo's plate, she saw that the ice cream haired girl visibly had something she wanted to say, her hands twitching. Ruby stood back after serving up her dessert, and watched Neo type.

 _'_ _I'm no cook, but should your hands shake that much when holding a knife?'_

Ruby blinked.

She looked down at her left hand, and to her surprise, Neo's observation was astute. Her small, pale hand's grip on the knife was tight, and shook far more than could be considered safe or normal. She gulped and quickly dropped the knife into the faucet to be cleaned later.

Ruby took up her phone.

 **'** **I just have unsteady hands. I'm a nightmare at Operation.'**

Neo shrugged, vaguely rolling her eyes. Neo's powers of perception were terrifying, Ruby thought. The smaller girl most likely saw through straight through her. Regardless, Neo did not pursue further.

Ruby slid a fork towards her, and she grabbed it.

 **'** **I want you to be honest. I can never tell if my friends are making fun of me or not.'**

Neo nodded and stabbed her fork into the pie. She brought a small portion to her nose, sniffing it first with a contemplative expression. Deeming it safe to eat, Neo put it in her mouth.

She stopped for a second, not chewing it. Her eyes opened slightly, not expecting the result. After a moment, she started eating it while grabbing her phone.

 _'_ _Holy crap._

 _'_ _This is amazing!'_

Ruby felt a surge in confidence. It seems that every time she made Weiss, Blake or Yang eat her cooking, they were telling the truth. For some reason, she doubted that she had the innate ability to cook. Maybe spending the last year and the current year getting an entire qualification in this field wasn't such a big mistake after all.

Ruby said nothing as Neo quickly finished her small portion. She ate delicately, though she was clearly ravenous for more. All the while, Neo's eyes flickered between Ruby, the pie, and their worksheets.

 _'_ _Where did you learn to make food this good?'_

Even though Neo directed the question to Ruby, her attention was partially transfixed on the work still. It was like she was trying to take her mind off of something.

 **'** **My food studies classes, I guess.**

 **'** **Though I spend a lot of time in this kitchenette, too.'**

Neo pushed her plate forward.

 _'_ _I sincerely hope you cook for me some time. It's a date idea in the making, don't you think?'_

Ruby giggled, joyous that Neo said as such.

 **'** **Absolutely. I'll make whatever you want.'**

Rather, Ruby would find a recipe for whatever Neo wanted and follow it, just like she did for everything else she made.

 **'** **We've still got a date to go on today.'**

Neo took a moment to acknowledge this, staring at her phone.

She stood, pushing back her chair. As she typed, her thumb slipped on the keys.

 _'_ _Yes.'_

What was happening to Neo's demeanour? Her answer just now was too simple.

Ruby became increasingly aware of this when they entered the room, holding their art work. Even when she was eating, Neo kept sneaking glances at the work pile, weighing it in her mind, trying to judge how much existed.

The assignment distracted Neo every minute they spent in this room, and Ruby wasn't sure of what to make of it. She never thought Neo would be so concerned by average work.

It might be for the best to take Neo away from it, take her mind off of their assignment, Ruby thought.

 **'** **Shall we be off?'**

Neo did not see her text. She became absent, lost while unmoving. Ruby tried to grab her attention.

 **'** **Are you okay?'**

Ruby held her phone closer to Neo, almost rubbing shoulders, but Neo still failed to notice her.

This was never a good sign.

Anxious, Ruby made a more concerted action and tapped her on the shoulder, making the shorter girl jump and gasp. Neo now saw the text.

Neo typed on her phone. Her purple eyes lost their usual enticement, replaced by something that Ruby failed to place. Emptiness, maybe?

 _'_ _There's a lot of work here, isn't there?'_

Neo gazed into Ruby, her face missing its ever present smile. Her purple eyes reflected Ruby's worried expression when she looked up.

 **'** **It's fine. We've got a week to do it.'**

Neo looked torn, facing away from Ruby. Her breathing audibly shook. She was trying to type something, but deleted the words several times, unsure of herself.

 **'** **Are you okay?'** Ruby asked again, worried. She posed a question that Neo could answer easily.

 _'_ _I dont know.'_

Neo breathed through her mouth slightly, the hand holding her phone to her chest.

She started pacing around the countertop, her hands moving up and down like she wanted to say something. Ruby could see that she was confused, or in a conflicted state without the ability to think straight.

She knew that Neo wanted to express herself, but lacked the means to truly communicate her fears. Ruby could not fathom that kind of frustration.

Neo tried to control her beating heart. She made a series of desperate gestures, talking in sign to nobody. Realising this, she used her phone again. She held it in one hand while stabbing the keys with the other. This was the only way she could communicate with Ruby, and it would never come close to allowing her to express something as well as her signing.

 _'_ _cant breathe_

 _'_ _scared.'_

Ruby put a hand on Neo's shoulder, trying to calm her down. Neo shuddered with the touch.

 **'** **About what?**

Neo sniffed and erratically breathed out before swallowing. She shook off Ruby's hand, making the concerned girl step back.

Ruby had seen a person hyperventilate when she looked in a mirror before an exam last year. And now, she was practically reliving that moment by looking at Neo.

 _'_ _this ruby this work we'_

Neo's phone slipped out of her hands before she could finish or amend her wording. She let it fall on the countertop, the casing and battery on the back popping off. Her phone was not broken, but would need minor reconstruction before being used again.

Seeing her phone clatter on the surface triggered a reaction in Neo. She threw her arms around her chest, head low, her hair tips twitching, indicating the shaking shooting through her body. Her large eyes were emotionless, mouth half-open in an attempt to snatch air, like she was suffocating.

Ruby felt scared.

Ruby always offered a shoulder to cry on when her friends needed it, but she was not a strong enough person to try and alleviate the stress and fears of others. She barely had the fortitude to help herself.

And then there was the other reason for Ruby's fear. She could not foresee this from Neo, the generally confident girl who made weird jokes and liked to flirt, who spent most of her existence with a smile on her face. Panic did not suit her. Ruby was always the one who needed support from others, and had never been put in this kind of situation.

And yet, here was Neo, about to undergo a panic attack, and all Ruby knew about it was that it involved their work. She had to do more than help a friend; she had to help a friend who never displayed these traits before.

But Ruby cared. She might not be able to help at all, but she cared for Neo, and that was all she needed to know. It was all the drive she needed to try, no matter how deep fear stabbed into her heart.

Neo brought her hands over her mouth and nose, trying to control her breathing. She faced away, shoulders heaving up and down.

Ruby put her hands on Neo's shoulders, gently, slowly, as the room was silent except for the sound of heavy breathing. Neo did not react or calm down to Ruby's hold. Now that they came into contact, Ruby could feel the shaking of Neo's small body.

"Ack…" Neo made a choking noise, like she tried to push down vomit, or like she was suffocating.

Ruby turned her around slowly. Neo's eyes were burdened with something resembling despair, maybe even shock, as though trying to evade death. She coughed from the back of her throat.

"It's okay…" Ruby said the first thing that came to mind, failing to keep the panic out of her voice, not that Neo would know. "I don't know what's wrong, but it'll be okay."

Neo's eyes wavered to Ruby's lips when she spoke, then down to the floor. To support herself, Neo put her hands on Ruby's arms, her grip tight enough to the point that she probably left marks.

In an effort to try and calm her, Ruby led Neo into a red seat. Thankfully, Neo was obliging and did not struggle, fully aware of what she was going through. In fact, it made Ruby think that this was not a first.

Ruby wanted to get a glass of water for Neo, but decided that the seconds were better spent by her side. She pulled up a seat and sat quickly, placing a hand over Neo's own and her back, over her soft hair.

Their combined soft and heavy breathing made for the only noises in the room. Even Neo's act of putting her free, scrunched hand on her stomach made no noise, nor did her swallowing.

Time passed slowly over the course of two minutes. At one point, Neo lurched forward with a silent, barely restrained cough, but did no other actions. Hoping that Neo wouldn't notice, Ruby put her fingers over the wrist of the hand she held. Neo's pulse was, as expected, erratic. Ruby lightly stroked the pink and brown hair at the base of her neck, hoping it relaxed her.

Another minute went by. Her pulse remained the same, even though she managed to reign in her breathing. Measured breaths passed through her nose. Ruby could still feel her shaking, however. Neo's mouth formed a line as she closed it, her purple eyes large and bursting with dejected dread.

From the outside, it may have appeared as though the worst of Neo's panic attack was over, but Ruby knew better than to assume this. From her own experiences with anxiety, Ruby knew that the inside mattered much more.

The fact that Neo at least looked somewhat better came as a major relief to Ruby, who was terrified enough to hear her own heartbeat. Ruby didn't know if she really helped, but was glad that progress was being made.

 **'** **How are you feeling?'**

Ruby continued to stroke Neo's hair. She hoped it soothed Neo as Neo soothed her yesterday, when she ended up crying into the ice cream haired girl. Her hair was soft and surprisingly feathery.

Neo moved into the action while she reached for her phone, or the pieces of it. A few seconds were all that it took for Neo to put in the battery and cover, after some fumbling with her trembling fingers. All the while, her face remained straight but saddened, eyes wide.

Neo looked even sadder when she stared at her phone. This was not how she wanted to express herself right now, but had no choice in the matter.

 _'_ _it seems i got a little upset there. It felt like the air was sucked out of the room._

 _'_ _youre wondering why that happened I guess huh'_

It certainly crossed Ruby's mind.

 **'** **If you have something on your chest, you can tell me.'**

Ruby offered her full support. She couldn't tell how pleased Neo was by her face, but felt her shoulder's relax under her hair.

 _'_ _i've told you that me and my friends are all working towards something in college. in other words we're sharing a future and will'_

Neo cut off her own sentence.

 _'_ _Do you know what the worst thing is about sharing a future with your friends?'_

Ruby didn't even know there was a downside.

 **'** **What is it?'**

 _'_ _if i fail to pass my exams and assinments i fail my friends._

 _'_ _It's awfully terrifying, you see.'_

Ruby silently watched her.

 _'_ _If I fail, I can't go forward by their side anymore, like if siamese quadruplets tried to juggle chainsaws.'_

Neo's large, agitated eyes were set on Ruby, waiting for a reaction.

Ruby did not laugh. She continued to stare at Neo.

Neo swallowed, and typed again, eyes quivering.

 _'_ _I need to obtain my qualifications, so I can continue to be with my friends. My life is pretty much over if I cant be with my friends, more so than the kitten that gave me catscratch disease.'_

Neo paused again, waiting for Ruby's reaction. And again, Ruby did nothing but watch her.

This time, Neo tensed, perturbed by Ruby's lack of a response.

 _'_ _Why are you looking at me like that?_

 _'_ _People give me that look all the time. Emerald gave it to me when we were six and she found out I separated myself from the other kids. Mercury gave it to me when we first met and he found out Ive been deaf my whole life. Cinder gave it to me after I told her that a librarian refused to let me borrow a book on how to commit suicide._

 _'_ _After all, the librarian knew I wouldn't bring the book back!'_

(•‿•)

Neo had never looked so small in Ruby's eyes, dejected in such an alien way, trying to raise a persona of well-being. It almost struck Ruby as pathetic.

How many true statements were in that last text? Was the entire text just a desperate attempt at a joke? Ruby couldn't know for certain.

 _'_ _Im making jokes._

 _'_ _Why arent you laughing?_

 _'_ _im doing everything I can to not be scared_

 _'_ _so stop worrying about me_

 _'_ _laugh._

 _'_ _please.'_

Neo's phone slid out of her hands. She stared at it, lifeless. Whatever energy she was relying on to try and raise a façade had vanished. She lacked the strength to utilise her dark coping mechanism further.

Ruby put her arms around Neo and drew her closer. She could think of nothing to assuage the small girl. All she could do was sit, watch, and pray that her presence was of a comfort to Neo.

All the while, Ruby thought of everything Neo said. Unlike Ruby, this girl had a future ahead of her, something she wanted to work towards, and not just that, but one where her friends played an integral role. Perhaps this led to greater pressures than Ruby would ever experience.

Pressure. Ruby thought of the word. She knew of the choking grip of pressure quite well, and could certainly try to alleviate it. Maybe she could help after all.

 **'** **You want to do this work as soon as possible.'**

Neo nodded.

 _'_ _I love my friends. They love me._

 _'_ _and we expect each other to come out of college with exmplary grades so we can achieve our goal so I need to do this work now and do it to the best of my ability_

 _'_ _i dont care if we have a week to do it. what if we dont do it in time? or we finish it poorly and get a crap grade?'_

Ruby breathed out. There was that word again. Expect. The driving force behind so many fears, not just for herself, but for so many students. Why did she think Neo would be an exception? Why did she expect Neo to be a pillar of strength?

Ruby might have been the one pupil in Beacon who professors pinned their hopes to, but she was not the only one coping with pressures and fears. She wanted to help Neo.

In a twisted and selfish kind of way, Ruby was glad that she saw this side of Neo. Ruby was not the only person in college trying to cope with burdens and expectations. She garnered a sense of solidarity from the thought, knowing that she and Neo, and maybe even everyone in college, shared these thoughts, and she was too self-absorbed to notice until now.

However, within these four walls, Neo was Ruby's main concern.

 **'** **Let's do it now.'**

Neo slowly broke away after Ruby showed her the phone.

Neo put her hands on Ruby's shoulders while pushing away, looking up at her with dark, purple eyes. She was not crying, but in a saddened trance.

 _'_ _you dont have to-'_

Ruby put her hand over Neo's phone while she typed and brought it down, stopping her.

 **'** **I want to help you complete it. And not just because it's a paired assignment.'**

Ruby made her decision. She wanted to help unburden Neo, like her friends helped unburden her. She could do nothing to remove the ever-present pressures of life, as others could not do for her, but she could help to ease it.

 _'_ _you probably had a nice date planned_

 _'_ _its ruined because of me._

 _'_ _you have to resent me to some extent obviously_

 _'_ _So why do you want to waste the afternoon working with me on this?'_

Neo fretfully fiddled with her phone. She did not want to be in this situation, and Ruby couldn't blame her. It was difficult to appear weak, but at least she showed it around a friend.

Silly, Ruby thought as a response. She was not about to make possibly insulting sentences, though.

 **'** **Even if I made a reservation at a five star restaurant I wouldn't be mad.**

 **'** **I understand it, Neo.**

 **'** **So let me help you.'**

Ruby squeezed Neo's hand and smiled.

Neo turned back to the countertop. Ruby was about to retract her grip, but Neo refused to let go.

They were content in inactivity for a few minutes. Neo's hand was warm, soft, comfortable to touch. They sat, absorbed in the pleasant silence that always accompanied Neo. In fact, pleasant was the only word Ruby could use to describe the situation.

Neo managed to unwind. Her purple eyes closed as she took a prolonged breath, and while she let out air, she opened them again. Some vibrancy returned. These were the eyes that Ruby wanted to see.

A small smile formed on Neo's lips as she turned on her phone, the wait putting it into sleep mode.

 _'_ _Golly, you'll do anything to spend time with me, won't you?'_

(≧◡≦)

Neo giggled silently. She twisted to Ruby, turning her chair around so that they were face to face. Her face had brightened considerably, back to her usual self. Or at least, the self that gave the air of confidence and liked to flirt and tease, Ruby thought.

Ruby felt relief wash over her. The single line given by Neo confirmed that Ruby had been able to help her.

 **'** **You caught me.**

 **'** **I won't tell anyone about what just happened. This is our secret.'**

Ruby wanted to get the point across first. One thing worse than knowing that you can succumb to anxiety was other people knowing about it.

 _'_ _Thank you. I swear this is the first time I've had a panic attack.'_

Ruby did not believe her. She could tell when somebody excelled in avoiding problems; she did it herself on a regular basis.

Nothing would be gained by going back to the topic. Ruby could just keep an eye on Neo in the future, similar to how everybody kept an eye on Ruby.

 **'** **I'll believe you.'**

 _'_ _You had a choice?'_

Why did this sound familiar?

Neo still smiled. She was not going to take this conversation seriously, and Ruby was secretly glad for it.

 **'** **Anyway, I guess we have work to do.'**

Ruby looked at their workload. Between them, it might take a couple of days, granted that they only used their free afternoons. The fact that she and Neo got along very well would prevent this from being a difficult task.

Neo was not ready to begin yet.

 _'_ _I still feel a little bad that we're cancelling our date and doing work because of me.'_

This time, Neo's statement was not melancholic. Her eyes narrowed with a small curl in her smile; she had some kind of wanton thought in mind.

 **'** **It's fine, really. We're rubbing shoulders no matter what we do.**

 **'** **Time spent with you can't be time wasted. You think the same for me, right?'**

Neo entwined her brown and pink hair, as though trying to hide behind it in a meek display. Obviously, she was only doing it to melt Ruby's heart, and succeeded, not because she was shy towards the declaration.

 _'_ _You're right._

 _'_ _I still think I need to give you a token of my appreciation, though.'_

Dropping her hair, she put a finger to Ruby's chin and pecked her on the cheek. It lasted no longer than a split second.

The contact was softer than expected, and immediately gave Ruby an adrenaline rush. Her heart skipped a beat as Neo's lips pressed against her cheek, sending a pleasant sensation surging through her spine. Neo retracted sooner that Ruby refused to admit she liked.

Ruby burst into a bright red blush, and her giggling tumbled out while playing with her scarf. Her heart fluttered in giddy joy.

Neo seemed to enjoy her reaction, and typed away.

 _'_ _Thank you for being patient with me.'_

 **'** **Thank** **you** **for turning your autocorrect on.'** Ruby tried to think of something casual to say. If she was going to be visibly excited by a kiss on the cheek, she may as well try to play it cool.

 **'** **Make yourself at home. We'll be at this for a while.**

 **'** **We'll make tomorrow a happier day.'**

Neo nodded and coyly grinned, hand to her chest.

 _'_ _You're so sweet, Ruby._

 _'_ _Out of all the people I will eventually turn into a murderous yandere for, I'm happy it's you.'_

As night started to draw near, the lighting of the dormitory grew dim. Ruby reached up and turned on a light hovering over the countertop, so that they're small section was illuminated.

Neo smiled cutely and shifted her seat closer to Ruby, so that there was very little space between them. It seems that Neo wanted them to be each other's heat sources, at least until the cold became unbearable, and the intention certainly required no words.

Ruby did nothing to hide her blush, relishing somewhat in Neo's affection. She knew that she and Neo would have worlds of fun together, as long as their obnoxious pressures stood out of the way. And if they did stand in the way, Ruby and Neo were capable of helping each other.

For the rest of the day, Ruby and Neo enjoyed each other's company as they tackled the work together.

 **HHHHHHHHHHHHH**

A/N- The general consensus is that longer chapters are preferred, so I won't fret over timekeeping like a chronophobic bomb defusal technician. That's not to say that every chapter will piledrive their way through 15K words like all three chapters up to this point, however, so some will release sooner than others, but regardless, I hope you enjoy the upcoming chapters.


	4. Chapter 4

**Day 4- Night**

Ruby lay face down, eyes closed, heavily panting, Neo prone over her back.

Ruby could not move. The marginally smaller girl laid face down directly on top of Ruby, as though she were a couch, almost matching her proportions exactly. Ruby was more than restricted. She was immobilized. She was more than tired. She was exhausted. And most importantly, she was more than subservient to Neo. She was completely at Neo's mercy. And Neo was merciless.

"Why…?" Ruby lightly gasped. Neo did not read her lips.

Her voice echoed in her dormitory, she and Neo being the only occupants. They had spent too much time in this room as of later, Ruby thought, confined within the four white walls. A lamp on the ceiling shed light over the dormitory, plastering a shadow from the two left most beds into the dark grey floor, leading up to the kitchenette.

A light rain pattered against the window, some moonlight slipping through the crimson curtains and onto the red rug. The picture of Summer and Ruby gleamed against the moonlight, standing on the corner of the window-side cabinet, reflecting the spacious room. Of course, it only had this space because of the bunkbeds removing two beds from the ground. All but Ruby's sleeping quarters were neatly made up, including the areas around them. Clearly, Weiss had cleaned the room today, with no strewn clothing or possessions, everything neatly tidied away into the wardrobe or dresser in opposite corners of the room.

None of these things were visible from Ruby's position, however. The duo lay on Ruby's bed, in their pyjamas, surrounded by papers. Even with the abundance of light, the bed was still submerged in dimness, being close in proximity to the ceiling. Every light movement they made while their bodies were so intimately close would rustle a page of their scattered assignment, and further dishevel the red blanket.

It was by Neo's suggestion that they wear their pyjamas, for the sake of comfort. Ruby was nothing short of messy, her hair in disarray and thin clothing ravaged; her tank top was partially rolled up to her navel and exposing the left side of her thin stomach. Her pyjama pants were crumpled near her bare feet.

Neo, meanwhile, was relatively tidy. Even while lying on Ruby's scrawny body, her white buttoned shirt remained neat, as though newly ironed, open at her pale neck. White pyjama pants ended at her bare feet, nails pink. She calmly browsed the internet on her cheap, pink phone, reading a Wikipedia page about nerves in the body.

She had opted for the heterochromia look today; left eye brown, right eyes pink, matching the sides of her hair colours. Her smile was brandished all the same.

Ruby had never felt so much of Neo's body at a given time, and wished the circumstances were different so that she may enjoy this moment. Their clothing practically encouraged the contact between them instead of hindering it, with Neo's chest pressed into her back, their entire torsos connected, their legs tangled, and their bare feet rubbing together; more specifically, Neo rubbed their bare feet together, and she did not do this for their shared enjoyment this time. She did it just because she could, aware that Ruby could not fight back.

Ruby tried once more to shake off Neo. She planted her arms in the bed and tried to push herself up, but lacked the physical strength to lift herself and the girl on top. With a grunt, she struggled, trying to roll on her side and throw off her captor.

Neo didn't even need to try to restrain Ruby. She put down her phone and simply grabbed Ruby's arms, pinning them over their heads, near the top of the bed, warm smile never leaving her lips.

They stayed like this for a minute, Neo's breathing itching at her neck. Then, Neo loosened her grip, and resumed her normal position, leaning on one arm against Ruby's back, the other arm holding her phone.

Ruby took this moment to collect her breath. She wouldn't have long before Neo started to interrogate her again.

At least Neo knew when to give breaks. However, it only made Ruby count the seconds before the torture resumed. If she had known that Neo wielded such effective torture methods, she would have taken steps to stop this from happening. Alas, the damage was already done, and Neo managed to ascertain complete control over her. Still, Ruby had lasted this long, and she couldn't give up now.

A sudden puff of warm air caressed Ruby's nape. Ruby's eyes shot open with her light gasp, the breath eliciting a tingling feeling in her body. Neo wanted her attention.

Neo brought her phone in front of Ruby, its display illuminating their faces, the former smiling, the latter frowning.

 _'_ _Give it to me.'_

Ruby swallowed her fears and shook her head, crumpling the pillow. Fortitude, Ruby thought, trying to retain her inner strength.

She could feel Neo shifting on top of her, returning to the original position.

 _'_ _Round 3 it is, then._

 _'_ _Just remember, the night is still young, and I'm very much enjoying this.'_

Ruby would enjoy it, too, if this were an even playing ground.

Neo now sat on Ruby's lower back, facing away from her upper body and towards her legs. Their legs now rested parallel, Neo's on the outside to contain Ruby's. Neo may have been small, but her weight was still enough to subdue the girl below.

Ruby tried one last to throw off Neo, but as long as her interrogator sat on her back, there was nothing she could do. She closed her eyes as Neo leaned in on her legs.

Neo ran her fingertips over Ruby's feet.

Ruby burst into laughter in the same instant, trying to kick her feet in a vain effort to escape. She could feel every ticklish stroke of Neo's fingers against her feet, driving pleasurable yet irritating sensations through her body. The only thing more unstoppable than Ruby's laughter and squirming was Neo's assault on her sensitive skin.

Neo tipped Ruby's forelegs back, putting her victim's small feet in the air. She threw one arm around Ruby's ankles while tickling with her free hand. Neo started at the toes, lightly touching the curled digits, and moved down slowly, inching her nails over the soles, raking the soft skin, exploring at length, drawing out a prolonged shriek.

She blatantly revelled in Ruby's agony. The only way she knew that Ruby had a severe response to being tickled came from how the taller girl desperately wriggled around, futilely trying to pull her feet away, occasionally pounding the bed with her movements. A person of hearing might have faltered if they heard Ruby's loud cry.

Neo lessened her attack in favour for a lighter torment, ghosting a finger from the toes to the ball of the foot continually, not pausing for a second. Her new attack angle caused Ruby to go from full laughter to a repeated string of snickering.

In a sense, Ruby had to admire how effectively Neo pressed her buttons, so to speak. Neo restrained her, found her ticklish spots, and went for the kill. This may have been the wrong time to show respect, but at least Neo tickled her well. Ruby had no shame in losing this way.

Neo paused, removing her arm from Ruby's ankles. A few seconds afterwards, Ruby's phone vibrated.

A Skype chat had been opened between the two on their phones. It seems Neo had no intention to turn around again.

In the Skype call, 'Neopolitan Pistachio' had sent a message, showing her profile picture, a simple head shot of Neo smiling against the backdrop of her parasol.

 _'_ _I'm impressed. Emerald never lasted this long.'_

Grimacing, Ruby whined to herself like a puppy as she typed her response. A few seconds passed after pressing send before Neo received it.

 **'** **Impressed enough to stop?'**

Neo traced a nail over Ruby's arch as a response, making her squeal into the pillow. She curled her toes and wriggled her foot to get away, but Neo quickly grabbed her ankle and held it still, forcing Ruby to endure the sensitive anguish. She could feel every second of Neo scraping a nail across her soft skin.

Neo stopped and let go of Ruby's ankle.

 _'_ _Of course not!_

 _'_ _By the way, when are our friends coming back?'_

Ruby groaned.

Yang had taken everybody else into the town tonight, to show them around. And because it was Yang heading up that event, no doubt they wouldn't return until late at night, depending on how many clubs they happened to pass. Naturally, Yang did not care that they still had college tomorrow.

And, as of right now, it was only eight of the English clock, meaning that at a couple of hours lay in wait before Yang and her company returned.

However, Neo's question was rhetorical. She was just playing with Ruby.

 _'_ _I do believe that we still have a few hours to ourselves._

 _'_ _It seems that nobody is coming to save you. You're all mine!'_

^o^

Neo pinned both of Ruby's feet to the bed, setting her body straight again. Ruby, now with her entire body on the bed again, turned her head to look at Neo.

Neo kept her hands on Ruby's ankles while changing position. The papers around them rustled as she lay down on Ruby's legs, trapping them under her own body, complete joy written on her face. Now, Ruby could feel Neo's weight across her entire legs and partially on her waist.

Annoyingly, while lying like this, Neo was smart enough to cross her own legs over Ruby's back and keep them in the air, who was too immobile to reach around and grab them.

Ruby tried to move her legs, but Neo's body was too tightly pressed against them and her grip too great to allow them to manoeuvre. She was unnaturally good at this.

Same predicament, different method. Before she was tickled again, Ruby started typing.

 **'** **Why can't you accept that my way is better? Why do you have to do this?'**

 **:(**

Ruby felt her left ankle be freed as Neo needed to type.

 _'_ _It is_ _not_ _better!'_

Ruby could envision Neo's pout, looking at the back of her body.

 **'** **If you think so, we should have a refined and cultured discussion comparing the pros and cons of each art style so that we may reach a satisfactory result.'** Ruby channelled her inner Weiss to try and convince Neo.

 _'_ _Nah, this is more fun.'_

Neo danced her fingers across Ruby's soles. The prisoner screamed for a second and tried to jump up.

This time, with one hand, Neo dug her fingers into the toes of Ruby's left foot, forcibly stopping the instinctive reflex for them to curl. She wriggled the nails of her other hand into the toes' base, as if ensuring that no inch of Ruby's feet went untouched.

It didn't matter where she was tickled, Ruby thought in distress, it would cause the same result. As her toes were bristled, she gave into the irresistible urge to laugh, writhe and cross her fingers that she was getting enough oxygen.

Ruby gave in.

"Stop it, stop it, you can have it!" Ruby futilely shouted.

Seeing as Neo had no idea she was screaming, she reached into the pillowcase and pulled out a thick, graphite pencil. Her movements were hindered by inherent reactions to Neo's prying fingers, but after a few seconds, she was able to twist her upper body around.

Neo stopped prickling Ruby's toes when the pencil bounced off the back of her head. She continued to lie on Ruby's legs when she turned and retrieved it.

 _'_ _Thank you!_

 _'_ _Was that so hard?'_

Ruby breathed in and out several times, finally able to catch her breath. A spark of relief infiltrated her heart, knowing that Neo finally ceased her attack.

 **'** **You win!'** Ruby pouted.

 **'** **We'll use your stupid method. That way-'**

A finger jabbed her arch, and, eyes wide with a yelp, she gripped her phone so tightly in surprise that she almost broke it. Only the first part of her message was sent.

Despite getting everything she wanted, Neo was not content yet. She lightly flicked her finger back and forth over Ruby's foot while typing, barely enough to be classed as tickling, but enough to excite Ruby's skin.

 _'_ _You know, we both knew that you would give in eventually._

 _'_ _Why did you wait so long to give me the pencil?'_

Neo's flickering of her soles brought with it all the associated symptoms. It was too light to make Ruby laugh, but enough to make her giggle.

 **'** **A better question is, why are you still tickling me?**

 **'** **I thought you would stop!'**

 _'_ _When did I say that?'_

If Neo did not have her legs pinned, Ruby would jump on the smaller girl right now and pay her back tenfold.

 _'_ _Anyway, if you're still looking for a refined and cultured discussion, we can have one right now.'_

 **'** **Can we? Can we really?'** Ruby sardonically asked, snorting in an effort to stop giggling.

 _'_ _Of course!_

 _'_ _So, do you and your friends have any plans for this Sunday?'_

To Neo's credit, if such an entitlement were possible to give, she wasn't truly tickling Ruby's feet at this point. Instead, her actions were more akin to light fondling; she simply brushed Ruby's sole with a finger, dragging it up and down. It made Ruby think of a scientist casually probing at a subject, looking for reactions, testing from every angle.

Unfortunately, Ruby was a particularly ticklish person, so this act alone drove her insane. She could feel every millimetre of Neo's movements, the slight force pressing in her sensitive skin enough to cause a tumbling laugh.

Ruby tried to grin and bear it. Neo knew exactly how much it affected her, and wanted a reaction. She was the sort of person who would get a feather duster if she thought it would incite Ruby more.

 **'** **We're students. We don't do anything on weekends.'** Ruby had to correct herself several times as her thumbs involuntarily twitched when her foot was prodded.

 _'_ _I see._

 _'_ _And how do you feel about conventions?'_

The question came rather out of left field in Ruby's mind.

 **'** **Can't say. I've never gone to a convention before.'**

The closest she came to attending a convention was when she passed by the convention centre that hosted Comic Con in town last year. Seeing the abundance of cosplayers made Ruby want to attend at that exact moment, but she was too self-conscious to go alone.

 _'_ _How would you like to go to a convention with me on Sunday?'_

Ruby was prepared to say yes to anything Neo proposed. Still, it would be nice to be more informed on these types of proposals. It would be nicer if Neo didn't just move on to gently twisting a finger in her arches, making her squeak and squirm, but Ruby had to pick her battles.

 **'** **What kind of convention?'**

 _'_ _A writing/novel/written media convention. Something like that.'_

It hardly inspired confidence in Ruby that Neo didn't really know the nature of this convention. Not that Ruby needed much convincing to spend time with Neo, but one would think that the ice cream haired girl would have better knowledge of her own plans.

 _'_ _It wouldn't be just the two of us._

 _'_ _Emerald, Cinder and Mercury are all going, too._

 _'_ _Cinder even has her own panel!'_

Ruby reread the text three times, the first time interrupted because she forced her eyes shut when Neo dug a finger into her soles, the second to actually read it, the third to confirm she had interpreted it correctly. She never stopped slightly writhing around.

 **'** **Cinder I can understand, since she's a writer and all, but Mercury and Emerald? Are they really interested in that kind of stuff?'**

 _'_ _Honestly? Nope. And I'm not either._

 _'_ _But we're going with Cinder for an entirely different reason.'_

There were several things Ruby had learned about Neo by now. Neo frequently worried about her work, she had an abundance of contact lenses, she enjoyed joking (hopefully) about pain and agony, and she loved to horse around with Ruby. There was one more big detail about her that Ruby noticed over the prior week.

 **'** **What reason?'**

 _'_ _I'm not telling!'_

She knew how to be just secretive enough to goad Ruby into learning about her and her friends.

This was one of those times. Neo would not spill any further details, so the only way Ruby could find out more is by asking her friends or joining her at the convention on Sunday. Besides, Ruby was in no position to ask further when a nail was tickling her feet.

If Neo and her friends were all headed to this convention, it was clearly important to them. This being the case, Ruby-

Ruby couldn't take it anymore.

She thrashed her legs more direly than ever, unable to handle Neo's tickling. This may be the first time in history somebody had thought 'Damn it, I'm so annoyed that this cute girl is snuggling on top of me, fondling me, and making me laugh' and meant it.

This time, she managed to make Neo shift, and gained the ability to move her legs, kicking her feet up and down into the bed to get away from meddling fingers. However, her freedom was lost as soon as she gained it.

Neo now lay on top of Ruby once more, but fortunately, it was the right way forward again. Neo's chest lay on her back, their waists in contact.

Ruby was glad that she could breathe easy again. Even with Neo's light breath against her neck, Ruby finally relaxed.

 **'** **Neo Im really ticklish and what youre doing is driving me crazy so for the love of god will you stop tickling my feet because im so ticklish PLEASE STOP!'**

Ruby threw her head on the pillow after sending her unordered message, panting and with her eyes closed. On the other hand, Neo carried a devious smile.

 _'_ _I know you're ticklish. Why do you think I'm toying with you?_

 _'_ _It's fun!'_

Ruby took her head off the pillow, leaning on her right arm as she typed with her left.

 **'** **Fun?**

 **'** **Not for me!'**

 _'_ _Once again, I never said that.'_

Ruby turned her head so Neo could see her pout.

 **'** **You know, this would be fun for both of us if you let me fight back.**

 **'** **But you're not playing fair, meanie.'**

 _'_ _If it makes you feel better, I never had any intention of playing fair.'_

Neo slyly coiled a lock of Ruby's hair with a finger, amusing herself while they talked.

 **'** **I didn't think so.**

 **'** **You better remember that I won't play fair when I get my hands on you.'**

Neo giggled silently and stopped playing with Ruby's hair.

 _'_ _Golly, are you trying to take an aggressive tone with me, young lady?_

 _'_ _I think you need some more laughter in your life.'_

Right now, this was the last think Ruby wanted. She typed as quickly as possible.

 **'** **You can't even hear me laugh!**

 **'** **I might be screaming in agony for all you know!'**

Neo stopped in contemplation. She put a finger to her chin.

 _'_ _You raise an excellent point.'_

Ruby thought this would mean Neo would climb off of her, but the contrary occurred. As Ruby was about to push herself up, Neo leaned on her hard enough to put her back down.

 **'** **So why don't you stop?'**

Neo's smile turned broad and beaming, like the Cheshire cat.

 _'_ _Because I love the way you squirm and wriggle around! I'm just smitten with all your cute reactions!_

 _'_ _Also, this might be the oestrogen talking, but I like the way you writhe and struggle against me while I'm subduing you as I'm tickling you._

 _'_ _Is that weird?'_

Ruby inspected her carefully from the corner of her eye. Considering this and their game of footsie some time ago, Ruby had a sneaking suspicion about something regarding Neo.

She wasn't completely sure of herself, and could be wrong, but it wouldn't hurt to ask.

 **'** **It might be a little bit weird. You really are enjoying this, aren't you?**

 **'** **Neo, do you have a fetish or two I should know about?'**

Neo did not respond immediately. In fact, it looked like she was taking the question seriously.

Neo's cheeks were tinged pink as she stared at Ruby's message, pink and brown eyes shaken. She audibly gulped.

 _'_ _What are you implying?'_

 **'** **I'm not too sure, but if you do, you can come clean with me.'**

Neo burned bright red. Ruby had forced a genuine blush from her. Her mouth had become a curved, nervous line.

 _'_ _I don't have a fetish. I've got no idea what you mean.'_

Neo was quick to turn defensive, as though she had been caught red handed. She was suspiciously quick to deny this.

 **'** **I think you do.'**

Neo swiftly gathered herself, not amused. She clearly hated how Ruby called her out on this matter. Her eyes narrowed.

 _'_ _You need to stop typing._

 _'_ _Let's start round four.'_

"Really?" Ruby said.

And as punishment for touching on a subject that Neo wanted to desperately avoid, Ruby spent the next twenty minutes crying and laughing helplessly into a pillow.

* * *

 **Day 5**

In spite of their activities, or maybe because of them, Ruby slept well last night.

The first two lessons of the day went well. Mechanics and Art went by without a hitch, without an assignment, and without a real conversation with a professor.

Now dinnertime, Ruby ate lunch with Yang in the dinner hall, in their college uniforms.

Well, she _wanted_ to say eat.

In the large dining hall, she and Yang both sat at a table in the corner of the giant room, lined with long tables that could seat tens of students at a time. Specifically, they sat next to the end of a window that made up an entire wall, in an artistic decision that could only be described as chic. Being on the second floor and facing towards the outside of campus, this window gave a limited view of the gate and concrete path leading into the town, lined with dying trees and bushes. Grey clouds were gathering on the horizon, lending a distinct gloom to the outside world, whereas the cafeteria was contrastingly well lit.

The room's shape was not as boring as a square, instead more akin to a half- hexagon. The sides leading off from either ends of the window wall were a cordial silver, not bright enough to strain the eyes, but not dark enough to be unpleasant; unfortunately, the design was somewhat hampered by a green and grey notice board on both walls, cluttered with papers detailing upcoming events and opportunites in Beacon. A set of stairs sat next to one wall, an elevated walkway to the next building in Beacon by the other.

A well-polished area, clean to the point of it vaguely reflecting the many students and tables on its white floor. Opposite the window sat the serving counter, where students queued in an orderly fashion to choose their meals from the wide array on offer. The counter was slightly curved, leading up to the cash register manned by an elderly woman with a white apron. And, naturally, chattering students were everywhere, trying to get in early before the good food was taken. By now, they were much too late.

Generally, Yang always joined Ruby at this time, for one very specific reason.

Ruby looked down at the unappetising food in front of her. A slice of pizza and chips. English chips, that is. Even though the pizza was the only food item that was not bland by cafeteria food standards, it did not appeal to her.

"Ruby. Eat." Yang said, determinedly, not looking up from her own food. She made her demand loud and clear.

"Yeah…" Ruby sighed, picking at her food. She had no desire to fight back to her sister. "Are you gonna check on Weiss, as well?"

"Don't you worry about Weiss. I'll make sure she's eating, too." Yang was able to put her foot down with ease.

A minute went by, Ruby slowly eating her meal, leaning on one hand. Yang's presence was slightly more imposing at this moment, and the younger sister had no say in the matter against the commanding elder.

Among the bustling crowds in the room, more noise than usual came into earshot, even over the myriad conversations taking place. Ruby and Yang perked, trying to identify the source.

The new noise was, ironically, a loud set of whispers, hushed tones that originated from the staircase. There was the occasional squeal of a schoolgirl, in addition.

Ruby and Yang looked towards the stairs, at the source of this disturbance. There, several girls stood in a small group, huddled together. They were all looking at someone or something near the counter from their position. It was then that two students walked away from the counter, trays in hand. The girls' line of sight followed these two people.

The pair walking away from the counter happened to be Mercury and Emerald, in their typical uniforms.

The tanned girl and tall boy made their way to Ruby and Yang, carrying their trays of food. They were not bothered by the gazes of the girls.

"Mind if we sit here?" Mercury asked in a blasé manner as he stood by Yang.

"No probs." Yang invited them to sit. Her mood brightened as she and Ruby were no longer alone.

Mercury sat with his back to the crowd, next to Yang.

As he did so, the girls suddenly shot devilish glares at Ruby and Yang, their whispering pausing temporarily. When the noise resumed, it was louder than before, like they were deciding if the sisters were worthy of sitting with Mercury.

Emerald sat next to Ruby, who could faintly smell her pleasant perfume. Not a designer label, but nice nonetheless, an oceanic fragrance.

Nobody said anything for a minute, but not for a lack of topics or chemistry; Ruby and Yang were incredibly curious about the crowd following the other pair.

Mercury almost threw down his fork when he turned to the whispering girls in brief anger.

"Come on, can't I eat in peace!?" He shouted at them, grey eyes like slits.

At once, the girls scattered and ran up the stairs, squealing. The lunch hall was instantly quieter from the lack of their presence. In fact, all noise stopped momentarily when Mercury shouted, all eyes on him.

Emerald did not look up, but Ruby and Yang did. They were confused, understandably. By now, they knew that the stalkers were following Mercury.

"What was that?" Yang had the courage to ask.

Mercury grimaced when he turned back and picked up his fork. Everybody in the cafeteria resumed their conversations, bringing back life to the room.

"My fangirls." He plainly answered. There was a short pause between the group.

At first, Yang just snickered. Then she burst into laughter, eyes closed and hands on her sides. Ruby thought the prospect was a little silly, but Yang found it hilarious.

"Freakin' fangirls? You?" She shakily queried, wiping a tear from her eye.

"Yes, me." He sounded frustrated.

Ruby and Emerald nonchalantly stared at the two, not getting between them. Mercury stabbed his fork into a chip, visibly annoyed, though whether this was because of Yang or the need to rid himself of stalkers was yet to be determined.

"What did _you_ do to deserve a fan club?" She mocked him.

"I don't know-" Mercury struggled to define her wording. "I think you're making fun of me."

"You don't have to think it. Just know it." Yang shrugged, still not looking at him while speaking.

Yang ate as coolly as possible after insulting him, like she said nothing wrong. This seemed to rile Mercury more, though he fought back his frustration. Instead, he relaxed, tipping his fork on a finger and leaning back.

"What, I'm not good enough to have fangirls?" He succinctly asked, giving a half-hearted shrug in a desire to hear her answer. He didn't seem to realise that he was now fighting for his right to have fangirls after expressing his disdain for them because of Yang.

"No, no. I'm sure you deserve fans after doing _so much_ in Beacon this past week. Let's see, you let me punch out one of your teeth on the first day, you were shouted at by a professor, and… Oh, that's it. I guess a pretty face and rebel attitude is all you've got."

Honestly, Ruby had to agree with her sister on this. Not that she would admit it while Mercury was sitting two feet away from her.

Mercury calmly sipped water from a plastic bottle.

"Boy, you're just looking for a fight, huh?" Mercury started to adopt a more playful tone, smirking from the corner of his lips. He enjoyed the way she competed with him.

Now, Yang turned to face him, sliding around on her seat. The challenging glint in her eyes was identical to that in Mercury's, daring the opponent to go further.

"Are _you_ looking for one?" Yang asked, monotone but spirited.

"Maybe I am." Mercury reciprocated.

They both leaned forward, their heads an inch away from connecting, expressions dark but amused.

"Then let's have one!"

That escalated quickly, Ruby thought.

Mercury slammed down his bottle as he rose.

"Fine, let's do this!" He yelled, capturing every students' attention.

"Let's go, punk!" Yang jumped up to meet him, lilac eyes burning with the passion of competition.

"Wait, wait…" Emerald sighed, like she had experienced this situation already, treating it with the banality that came from familiarity.

Both Yang and Mercury snapped to Emerald, who took a bite out of her sandwich after speaking.

"What?" They both asked at once.

"Can you not resort to physical violence, please?" She spoke with her mouth full, not intimidated by their attitudes. She swallowed before speaking again. "Believe it or not, it's against college regulation to fist fight in the cafeteria."

Mercury looked down to Yang again.

"Eating competition." He simply spouted, deciding that there was at least one way to compete in the cafeteria that would not lead to expulsion.

"Yeah, first person to choke to death loses!" Yang retorted.

"And they pay for the first round of drinks tonight!"

Both individuals as stupid and fiery as the other, they launched to the service counter.

Ruby and Emerald sat in place, watching them dash to the counter. Other students crowded around, blocking the view, but neither remaining girl had any desire to see this take place. Strangely, the fan club that Mercury chased away returned quickly, one of them holding a picture of Mercury's face in a heart as she entered the large group of spectators.

Ruby and Emerald pretended that nothing happened, the former going back to trying to eat her food.

"That just sort of happened." Ruby shrugged.

"Let them fight it out. They'll get tired of competing eventually."

"You don't know Yang."

They were quiet for a while.

It was somewhat difficult for Ruby to approach Emerald right now, but not because of a lack of topics. Emerald was clearly not too interested in a conversation, not going out of her way to speak or look up. Regardless, Ruby at least wanted to try to be involved with her.

Ruby had an idea for a topic lined up, as she and Neo did not join their friends last night. Maybe Emerald could shed some information on the activities the other six.

"So, did you enjoy spending time with Yang and everybody else last night?" She asked, perking up.

"I didn't go. I had better things to do." Emerald did not look away from her plate.

Ruby had been shut down quicker than expected.

"Oh. Are you gonna join them some other time?"

This time, Emerald decided to become involved, and of her own volition, to boot. She glanced up, looking at Ruby from the corner of her eye, only offering a small smile.

"Actually, yes. Yang invited us to a club tonight."

So, this was what Mercury meant by 'paying for drinks tonight.' If Yang mentioned this at some point today, Ruby forgot. More likely than not, Yang knew that she wouldn't want to come anyway.

"Are you all going?" Ruby inquired further, glad she found some amiability.

"It seems so. Will you and Neo join us?"

Considering they had not finished the work, absolutely not.

"Probably not at this rate." Ruby sighed, having PTSD induced flashbacks to last night.

"That's too bad." Emerald said, suddenly losing interest.

In spite of welcoming a conversation, it seems Emerald was not going out of her way to be overly polite. She seemed irritable by nature. No wonder she argued so frequently with Weiss.

From the end of the counter, an easily recognisable girl could be seen, a trio of colours standing out from amongst the crowd. She paid the cashier and turned away, brown and pink hair whipping around.

Neo stood absent-mindedly in the middle of the hall, carrying a slightly dejected expression as she did not know where to sit, holding her tray. The hall was still relatively packed full of students.

Ruby raised herself up and waved at Neo, catching her attention. Neo cheered up considerably when she Ruby and Emerald, quickly walking over to them, not aware of how loud her heels were in the already noisy room. She wore the typical girl's uniform, albeit without stockings and with high heeled boots.

As Neo sank into a seat opposite the pair, she brought down her tray and waved a greeting, flashing her pleasant smile. Emerald waved back with a smaller, less cheerful smile.

Though Ruby had yet to forgive Neo for her cruel and unusual torture last night, she still smiled back.

Before Neo started eating, she started removing the uneaten food left behind by Yang and Mercury, putting it on her left and out of the way. Then, noticing the cake that Yang had not eaten, she took it for herself, not opposed to stealing other people's desserts.

After this ritual, Neo signed to Emerald.

"By the way," Emerald translated Neo's gestures. "I just saw the strangest thing."

"What is it?" Ruby asked, her words translated.

Neo gestured again, and when she finished, she picked up her fork and started eating.

"A couple of girls were giving Yang and Mercury the Heimlich manoeuvre. Watching my friends choke to death is probably the funniest thing I'll see all day."

Emerald glanced at Ruby while she said this, wondering if the pair would be okay. They shrugged it off.

"The food is so bad that I can't blame them for choking this early in their competition." Emerald became slightly more talkative in the presence of Neo. Maybe she was just more comfortable around one of her oldest friends.

Ruby felt more comfortable around Neo, too, no longer on edge because she was trying to break through to Emerald by herself. With somebody else here, talking would be easier, even if signing was necessary.

For the minute, Ruby picked at her food, eating it slowly while in thought.

Neo, after observing Ruby from the corner of her eye, made some short motions. She directed her signing at Emerald, though she clearly wanted to address Ruby.

"You don't seem to be enjoying this slop." Emerald relayed, impressively managing to see Neo's hands without looking up. "Not that we can blame you."

Ruby had made no effort to hide this fact.

"Well, most college food isn't too appetising."

Neo responded, still with a carefree smile.

"If you don't like it, don't eat it." Emerald turned her attention between the two repeatedly, seamlessly moving from one translation to the next.

"I have to. I'm on a diet."

"What? This is the wrong food if you're trying to lose weight." Emerald spoke as herself, surprised by Ruby's statement.

Emerald's response changed something in Neo. Her pink eyes sharpened on her friend, annoyed by Emerald's words, and she stiffened considerably, disliking what she saw in the gestures.

Neo's gestures were fast and harsh, correcting Emerald. The pea haired girl's eyes widened marginally, letting herself be scolded.

"Wait, what _am_ I saying?" Emerald said in disbelief of herself. "Neo's right, you're the last person who should trying to lose weight."

Ruby figured that they would jump to this assumption. She sighed and continued to eat.

"It's not a diet for _losing_ weight."

Emerald's translation became slower as she finished Ruby's sentence. She and Neo stared at each other, coming to grips with the connotations.

Ruby's words hung in the air, stopping all conversation for a brief moment. Even in the busy cafeteria, the three were conspicuously silent, like they were trapped in a bubble.

Emerald's words acted as a pin when she chose to change topic.

"So…" Emerald had to think for a moment. "How are you two proceeding in your work?"

The trio continued as though nothing happened. It was better this way, Ruby thought to herself.

"We would be almost finished, if it wasn't for Neo spending about thirty minutes straight just tickling me." Ruby faux-sulked.

Neo stuck out her tongue. She really did enjoy herself last night.

Now, Emerald finished eating, and pushed her plate aside. She gave translation her full attention, resting her hands on the table when not talking.

"Ah, Neo is tickling you non-stop?" Emerald spoke in understanding, like she recognised the situation.

"Yeah, and she's being completely unfair about it." Ruby pouted, glaring at Neo.

"She went for your feet, didn't she?" Emerald stated as a matter of fact.

"Actually, yeah, she did." Ruby glanced at Emerald's blank face. "How did you know?"

"Lucky guess."

Emerald stared off into the distance after signing, a hand to her chin. Ruby believed that she was reminiscing of events she had experienced before. Now that Ruby thought about it, Neo mentioned Emerald's name last night, but couldn't quite remember the context.

Neo burst into a blush, eyes dancing to the side, and signed.

"Neo says she has no idea what I'm insinuating. Even though I didn't insinuate anything." Emerald exhaled, having expected this response.

Before Neo started to become defensive, Ruby refocused them on the topic.

"Why are you interested in our work?" Ruby put a chip in her mouth, after slathering it in ketchup to give it a more amiable texture.

"I want to know if you'll be done by Sunday."

No doubt existed that Emerald was thinking of the convention Neo talked about. A writing convention of some vague description, attended by Cinder and her compatriots, and something hinted to be special to them. If only Neo stopped keeping secrets, Ruby would know why.

"Oh, maybe?" I guess we can finish it tonight or tomorrow." Ruby shrugged, not overly concerned. Being Friday, they had plenty of time.

"I'd very much want you both at the convention. Cinder is going out of her way to get tickets."

"Really? For all of us?" Ruby appeared surprised.

"That's right. She happens to be a VIP guest, seeing as she's hosting a panel, so she's in a position to get free tickets. So, please finish your task before Sunday."

That was a rather nice gesture on Cinder's part, Ruby thought. Well, maybe it was somewhat presumptuous of her to believe that Ruby and her friends were automatically going to the convention, but nice nonetheless.

There existed a high chance that Neo and her friends had confided in one another and decided to collectively convince the others to join in the fun. Maybe if Neo did not tell Ruby about the convention last night, Emerald would have extended the offer now.

"We'll finish it. If Neo lets us."

This time, Emerald stopped signing. She flicked her hair then folded her hands neatly on the table.

"If Neo jumps you again, just poke her stomach. She's actually quite ticklish, herself."

"Really…?" Ruby trailed off.

"Really. If that's all it takes for you two to finish your work, then I'm sure you'll both attend the convention." Emerald seemed a little annoyed and irritated. She did not want their attendance to be hampered in any way.

Neo, worried that Emerald stopped signing, sent a Skype message.

 _'_ _Hey, what are you two saying to each other?'_

Ruby suddenly felt rather pleased with this new knowledge.

 **'** **Don't worry, you'll see later.'**

Ruby smirked at Neo, who visibly gained anxiety on her face.

Emerald stood, ready to depart from the conversation. She pushed back her stool, and picked up her plate to take it back to the cleaners. The tails of her hair flittered in her movements.

Ruby had not noticed it until now, but Emerald seemed tired, bags barely visible under her eyes, difficult to see in her darker skin. They were easier to see now that she stood, light being cast on her face.

"I have things to do, so-"

"Correct, you certainly do!" Came a new, high-pitched voice.

Another newcomer decided to interrupt their conversation. Their almost piercing voice cut through the chatter of other students.

Seemingly from nowhere, Weiss appeared, standing by the silver wall with a finger extended towards Emerald. She looked none too pleased.

"Oh, good…" Emerald said to herself, patting down her skirt.

Weiss made a needlessly melodramatic show of stomping over to their table, fixated on Emerald.

"Why did you tell Cinder that I wanted a ticket to this silly convention?" Weiss demanded an answer, hands on her hips as she bore holes into Emerald.

"I just assumed that you and all of your friends were coming." Emerald sighed, eyes closed. She did not want a confrontation with Weiss.

"Why would I want to go this convention? In fact, why would any of us want to go?" Weiss put a hand to her chest, trying to look imposing. However, it was not a look she could manage well, in spite of what she liked to think.

"Well, I know I've got my reasons." Ruby said.

"Quiet, you."

"Yes, ma'am."

"Well, seeing as it's on a Sunday," Emerald started, "I doubt you all have better things to do."

That was actually true, Ruby thought. She, Weiss, Blake and Yang mainly spent weekends together, just relaxing in the simple ways they knew best. Spending the day out would be a welcome change of pace.

"Wrong, I _do_ have better things to do." Weiss crossed her arms.

"Such as?" Emerald raised an eyebrow in doubt.

This made Weiss pause for thought. She started by looking at Emerald, then her sight wavered to the side.

"I, I don't know, just things." She stammered.

Emerald put a hand to her forehead, annoyed. She could see through Weiss like glass.

"So you _don't_ have better things to do, and you're refusing to go to the convention purely because me and my friends are involved."

Weiss did not respond immediately. She stood, hands to hips, glaring at Emerald, but with a solemn expression that suggested Emerald was completely correct.

"That's not true-"

"Weiss, why are you being such a child?"

"Excuse me?"

Emerald let her arm dangle by her side, leaning on a leg as she looked down on Weiss.

"It's fine if you dislike me, it really is. I return the sentiment."

"I think that's a given-"

"But Cinder is doing something nice for us, letting us all be together and spend time with one another. She wants us all to be better friends, and she's trying to make that happen. I really don't want you to waste her goodwill, and I don't think your friends do, either."

Ruby decided to offer her support to Emerald and Cinder's cause.

"Come on, Weiss. What's the worst that can happen?" She tried to persuade Weiss.

Sadly, it seemed to be for naught. Weiss turned her back on them, ponytail swinging.

"I don't know. And I don't want to find out." Weiss spouted.

At this, Emerald expressed genuine remorse.

"I can't change your mind?" Emerald's voice was quiet.

"No."

At this, Emerald stepped forward, and around Weiss. She was silent for a second when she faced the shorter girl.

The heiress gasped and flinched, as though afraid that Emerald would hit her, as ludicrous as it would be. She shrunk back, intimidated by Emerald being so close to her, eyes larger than usual.

"Can you just not stand being around me and my friends?" Emerald pointed a finger at her.

"Huh…?" Weiss briefly looked her in the eye. She seemed caught off-guard.

"Is it because the Schnee Corporation did nothing for us, the kids in the orphanage it owned? And you feel guilty on behalf of its owners, so you're struggling to face us because there's nothing you can do about it?"

"Please stop asking questions."

"Are you worried that we're socialising too much with your three friends, and you believe we're encroaching too much on your regular life? Do I scare you because I know you hide your cowardice and subservience by seeking confrontations and dominance using a façade of confidence?"

Weiss developed shock on her face, trying to shake it away.

"What are you…?"

"There's a reason you don't like me or all of us. What is it?" Emerald's firmly questioned.

Weiss hung her head low. She tried not to show it, but she was shaken and startled by the questions and by Emerald's very slightly aggressive tone and vicinity.

"Do you really believe you're a modern day Freud? Are you going to ask if I want to sleep with my mother, too?" Weiss rapidly squeaked under her breath, wanting to put distance between herself and Emerald. "I just don't want to go to the convention, and that's that."

Emerald watched her, trying to ascertain the truth.

"Fine. Be that way. See you around, Schnee."

Weiss breathed easier and was less daunted as Emerald stepped back, letting her pass.

"Good day." Weiss cleared her throat, regaining her bearing.

Weiss quietly walked away, less calm and with smaller and more nervous footsteps than those with which she arrived.

"I'll… try and talk to her at some point." Ruby declared. Weiss might have been childish in refusing to go, but Ruby was convinced that she could change the heiress' mind.

"Don't bother. Thank you for your assistance, though."

Neo stood, solemnness mixed in her smile. She sent a Skype message to Ruby directly, as Emerald was watching Weiss leave.

 _'_ _I see that didn't go well._

 _'_ _Try and look on the bright side, though. At least they won't get into a fist fight or something if one of them isn't there.'_

It was good to know that when a problematic situation arose that drove a wedge between their two friends, Neo was always there to mention violence.

 **'** **It's not much of a consolation, but I'll take it.'** Not that Ruby had a choice.

Neo picked up her plate, offering a merry disposition.

 _'_ _On a more pleasant note, I'll be at your dorm with the work at seven. I guess we have another joy and cheer filled night ahead of us.'_

How apt.

* * *

 **Day 5- Night**

Ruby perhaps should have felt guilty about deciding to sneak up on a deaf, smaller girl. Fortunately, 'should' does not imply 'will.'

Needless to say, although Emerald recommended that Ruby only tickle Neo back in self-defence, the red tipped girl had no such intention. She was still mildly irritated by Neo's rabid assault on her last night, and wielding her new-found knowledge of Neo's ticklishness, she fully intended to seek redemption. Neo had her fun last night. Now it was Ruby's turn.

Ruby waited patiently in her dormitory, alone as Yang and the rest of their friends were headed to a club tonight. Nothing had changed since last night, even down to the faint moonlight peeking through the red curtains. On the crack of seven, Neo knocked on the door.

Ruby welcomed Neo into the dormitory with a smile, reciprocated, then she swiftly made an excuse of needing the bathroom. When she entered said bathroom on the right of her dormitory, Ruby peered through the door to watch Neo set down her things.

Neo had taken off her blazer, shedding the dark outer layer and placing it on the door's coat peg. Like Ruby, she wore a white, short sleeved shirt, with her top button undone, and was taking off a red tie to put on the peg.

Neo had brought their half-finished assignment in her backpack, placing it against the wall, next to a radiator that churned heat. She opened it and started removing sheets, back to the bathroom.

As soon as Neo started rifling through her bag, Ruby struck.

She dashed across the dormitory, crumpling the red rug in her wake, reaching the hunter who would now become the hunted within two seconds. Neo saw a shadow rise on the wall, but its owner was far too quick for her realise that Ruby was running at her from behind.

When Neo was in range, Ruby threw her arms around the smaller girl's upper body. Neo jolted back into the standing position, jerked upright by the shock and surprise of suddenly being handled.

Admittedly, Ruby did end up feeling some guilt when Neo yelped, her version of the noise akin to a harsh, low gasp. However, Neo understood what was happening in the same instance, aware that Ruby had grasped her.

Neo silently gasped when one arm crossed over her chest, sliding between both of her underarms, managing to limit the movement of her arms. At the same time, Ruby's free hand was placed over her stomach. She squirmed against Ruby's grasp, trying to push away the arm restraining her by the chest.

Ruby only made a single stroke of her fingers against Neo's stomach when her captive showcased a dire reaction, immediately jumping up with a flail of her arms.

"Ah…!" Neo sharply breathed in, eyes wide.

It did little to stop Ruby from continuing, and she wormed her fingers into the gaps of Neo's buttoned shirt. She was able to move her fingers between the gaps to a limited degree, and that limited space was all she needed to lightly wriggle her digits over Neo's bare stomach.

The contact was soft, Neo's delicate skin a delight to grace. Her small, supple body offered no resistance to Ruby's nails, pliable to every touch. She struggled with every flicker across her stomach, her effort to not laugh becoming greater along with every movement of both her own body and Ruby's fingers.

It only lasted for five seconds, as the instant that her navel was brushed was the instant Neo audibly breathed out and jumped back, pressing against Ruby, who was no nowhere near close to being satisfied. Ruby tried to prod her navel, aware of the extreme reaction.

Panting and eyes closed in her innate desperation, Neo managed to break off Ruby's hold over her upper body, able to use her arms once more, and gripped the hand that tickled her. Using both hands, she was able to extract the fingers out of her shirt, but Ruby's second hand now closed in on her waist. All of her miniscule efforts to stop Ruby were promptly reduced to naught when her left side was attacked, a set of fingers softly but ferociously prickling her, and she lost her grip on the first hand. Within a second, Ruby was over her midriff again.

Deciding she had to use a last resort, Neo gulped and jumped backwards once more as hard as she could, colliding with Ruby. They both fell from their feet and tumbled together on the ground with a thud, landing next to one another.

Ruby recovered quickly and reached for Neo, hoping to get any hold on her. Neo recovered quicker and turned on her side, facing away from Ruby, and threw her arms around her own stomach.

Ruby tried to dive a hand onto Neo's midriff, but the other girl's arms were wrapped too tightly to gain access. She tried to pry away one of the protective arms, but Neo gave no ground, having summoned desperate strength to keep Ruby away from her most sensitive area.

Neo fortified herself further by bringing her knees up to her chest, forming a defensive ball to protect her upper body. Ruby gripped her bare legs and tried to pull it back, failing just as she did with her arms.

Ruby took this moment to allow them both a brief rest. Neo at least did the same last night. She examined the small girl who made herself look even smaller.

A light rain pattered against the window. The only other noise was Neo's heavy breathing, coming and going as her curled body rose and fell. Ruby put a hand on her shoulder, feeling her steady, rhythmic movements.

This may have been the cutest display seen from Neo, Ruby thought. Her lips were a wavy, nervous line, quivering in anticipation of Ruby's next move, waiting for the continuation that had yet to arrive. Her eyes were shut, blocking out the world around her like a frightened puppy.

Chuckling under her breath, Ruby lay next to the curled up Neo, facing her back. The rug beneath them was soft and affable to their bodies, acting as a nice cushion for their imminent activity. They were directly under the lamp above, making their shadows short.

Ruby rubbed Neo's small shoulder, providing some comfort despite being the one causing distress. She did it for fun, reminding Neo that she was exactly where Ruby wanted her, latched in a grasp from which she could not escape.

Ruby typed with one hand, as Neo barely tried to shrug off the other.

 **'** **I thought you would put up a better fight than that.'**

Neo used a mere split second to grab her phone from the pile of work. She was clearly gifted with the ability of touch typing on her phone, as she held her defensive position and typed without moving her head off her knees.

 _'_ _You attacked me when I was vulnerable, defenceless, and had no way of knowing that you were running at me._

 _'_ _I'm so proud of you!'_

Giggling, Ruby put an arm around the ball of Neo, who's facial expression bore a combination of happiness, frustration and anxiety. Ruby's arm reached around Neo's whole, petite body, her hand resting on the girl's lower legs.

 **'** **So, about the art work, I'm thinking we can still redo the sketches with the charcoal pencil. You know, because it's more suited to the art styles we need to replicate.**

 **'** **If you'll be happy to oblige, of course.'**

 _'_ _Ha ha._

 _'_ _No.'_

Ruby then remembered a trick of Neo's from last night. She dug her fingers into Neo's underarms as much as she could, unable to wriggle them in yet.

She then leaned towards the back of Neo's neck and breathed onto her nape.

"Mmph…" Neo reacted.

The smaller girl relaxed for a second, and gave Ruby enough of an opening to slide her hands under Neo's arms and onto her ribs. She attempted to force her hands lower and onto her stomach, but Neo regained her constricted defence once more, inadvertently trapping Ruby's hands. Neo had no choice but to trap Ruby's hands here, or let her offender tickle her stomach.

Deciding to take what she could get, Ruby wriggled her fingers on Neo's ribs, and her prey wriggled in return, kicking her legs but keeping herself balled up. Her shirt did nothing to lessen the sensitivity of her skin, nor prevent Ruby's nails from inducing delicate touches.

"Ngh, ah…" Neo breathed out, taking every mental measure to not laugh.

Neo's cheeks burned bright red from her attempts to not laugh out loud, and it clearly proved more and more difficult as the seconds ticked by. She started to whimper in breaths, the noise involuntarily escaping her lips as she fell victim to her own ticklishness.

Another low whine could be heard as Ruby traced her hands from Neo's ribs to her sides, just above her waist. This elicited a greater reaction, and Ruby decided to continue with this angle of attack. She dug her fingers into Neo's sides, stabbing her nails into the soft skin.

Neo cracked.

When Neo let loose with her laugh, Ruby had to pause for a second to understand what she was hearing.

Neo's laughter was indescribable. It was unlike a laugh that Ruby had heard before, loud, low, dotted with sharp, almost raspy breaths. When fingers started dancing over her sides, it became a brief, croaky cry that failed to hit a high note, before returning to its first tone.

As soon as Neo realised that she was laughing, she surrendered. She daringly waved her phone in the air, even when Ruby still tickled her, and indicated that she wanted this to end.

 _'_ _Fine!_

 _'_ _We'll redo the sketch with your stupid pencil!'_

It was rather impressive that she still put in the time to use exclamation marks.

 **'** **Thanking you kindly.'**

Ruby let herself fall partially on Neo, smiling. She kept her left hand on the tiny girl's heaving form, holding a side and effectively keeping her close and subdued. Ruby was rather pleased with herself. And when she raised her head to make sure Neo was okay, she saw something of a smile.

However, Neo's smile was faintly mixed with something else. On closer inspection, it looked like the second element was worry.

Neo relaxed, even with one of Ruby's hands still on her side. Their bodies were close enough to share body heat, not that it was needed in the already warm room.

 _'_ _You can let go of me now.'_

Ruby thought otherwise.

 **'** **I could.**

 **'** **Or I can push my advantage and get some information from you.'**

 _'_ _What the frick!?'_ Neo's large, soft eyes showed fear.

Ruby had no real need for information; it was just an excuse to toy with Neo some more. She had to admit, as she held Neo's warm, shaky body against her own, she was starting to see why the other girl enjoyed this activity last night. There was something strangely delightful about rendering somebody exhausted and vulnerable through an act as simple as delicately tickling their body.

While holding Neo's balled form close, brown strands of hair against her cheek, Ruby thought of what she could ask. Now was a good opportunity to try and dispel some of the mysteries that Neo had a habit of conjuring.

She decided to start with subject choices. Ruby had yet to uncover the nature of why Neo and her friends were at Beacon. She knew the subjects of all but one person now.

 **'** **How about you tell me what Cinder is studying?'**

Neo's lips twisted in cute, fake annoyance.

 _'_ _No, ask her yourself.'_

Ruby started to tap a pair of fingers over Neo's side, travelling back to her ribs. She jabbed them hard against the shirt and skin, not trying to make Neo laugh this time, and instead indicating that she was headed for the gaps in the shirt.

Feeling the threat of Ruby getting ready to tickle her again, Neo had a change of heart.

 _'_ _WAIT.'_

Ruby paused, her fingers on the button of Neo's shirt.

 _'_ _Cinder is studying Art and Design, English language and Literature, and I.T._

 _'_ _But I didn't want you to learn about us like this!'_

Ruby was clueless in several ways.

Surely a writer was beyond the point of needing to study English. Maybe Cinder only did so because the topic would be easy for her.

This might be a good time to recall and confirm everybody's subjects with Neo.

 **'** **If it makes you feel better, I really did ask everybody else for their subject choices.**

 **'** **You- Art, textiles, IT**

 **'** **Emerald- Law, psychology, IT**

 **'** **Mercury- Computer programming, IT**

 **'** **Cinder- Art, english, IT.'**

Neo nodded, with a bright smile. She seemed pleased that Ruby had taken the time to learn about them.

 _'_ _Aw, you do care.'_

Neo stopped still after showing the message. She started thinking, and Ruby let her do so, as this was one of few times she sensed genuine and non-playful appreciation. Her pink eyes came to a rest on the hand on her upper abdomen, just above her tightly guarded stomach.

Whatever whirled through Neo's mind came to a stop, and she typed again, pretending that she did not put anything under consideration.

 _'_ _I answered your question._

 _'_ _So you're letting me go now, right?'_

Nope, was all Ruby could think.

 **'** **When did I say that?**

 **'** **What do the four of you want to do after college?'**

Ruby may as well take this time to find out, because she sure couldn't figure it out herself.

 _'_ _Come on, that's the big mystery I'm setting up._

 _'_ _I can't just tell you that!'_

 **'** **I will make you tell me.'**

As much as she wanted to, instead of trying and likely failing to reach Neo's stomach again, Ruby slid her hands back and into the underarms. The shirt provided no defence when she wriggled her fingertips, making Neo involuntarily squirm her arms back and forth, practically grinding them over Ruby's hands.

Neo's unrestrained laugh came quicker than last time, but not for the lack of trying to hide it. Neo just lacked the strength to try anymore.

 _'_ _SPSTP STOPSTP ST'_

Ruby paused, aware that Neo could not type properly if her underarms were being attacked. She kept her fingers firmly dug in, however.

 _'_ _I'll compromise.'_

 **'** **How?'**

Ruby lay in anticipation for the next text.

 _'_ _You'll find out on Sunday.'_

 **'** **You mean at the convention?'**

 _'_ _Exactly.'_

Now Ruby had even more of a reason to go, not that she needed it.

How curious that Neo's goal with her friends coincided with the convention somehow. In a strange twist of fate, Ruby's desire to find answers led to another mystery, but at least would be resolved quickly.

 _'_ _I really, truly don't want to tell you here.'_ Came another text.

Ruby couldn't see Neo's face, pressed against her knees in a seizing security after the last attack, but she could sense the honesty behind the text. Ruby would happily oblige.

 **'** **Alright.**

 **'** **I guess I'll accept that.'**

Feeling slightly sorry for trying to pry a sensitive answer out of Neo, Ruby withdrew her fingers. For the moment, she threw her hand over Neo's body, taking in her warmth. The smaller girl tensed when a hand rested on her legs, just under her knees, but relaxed after a second to the touch. However, she never uncurled herself.

 _'_ _Is that all you have to ask?'_

There was just one last thing Ruby wanted to know.

 **'** **There's one last question I have.**

 **'** **You don't have to answer it, though.'**

Ruby really had no idea how to ask this question, and worried she would cause some level of offence. It had been on her mind since she noticed Neo tried to hide her laugh.

 _'_ _Really?_

 _'_ _What is it?'_

Ruby decided to ask her as straight as possible.

 **'** **Do you not like laughing?'**

Neo responded as quickly as always, having no issue with the question.

 _'_ _Not out loud. I know when it happens because I feel it in my throat.'_

 **'** **Why don't you like laughing loudly?'**

Neo did not answer immediately. She turned her head to Ruby, eyes wide, as if it were a stupid question.

 _'_ _I know my laugh is weird and unpleasant.'_

At no point did Ruby want to say anything like that to Neo, but it was silly to deny that her laugh was not… unique. That's how Ruby preferred to think of it, anyway.

 **'** **?'**

Neo turned on her back, and finally resumed a lying position. She had balled herself up for so long now that she had to shake a cramp out of her leg. She also removed her arms from her stomach, confident in believing that Ruby would not try to tickle her again tonight.

She smiled as always, but her eyes displayed something besides happiness. It looked like gloom, not quite total sadness, but it felt as though Neo was rehashing a sad fact she had accepted long ago. But even with this, she remained her mostly happy expression.

 _'_ _I've been told it a lot. And random people have stared at me like I'm, shall we say, 'mentally underdeveloped,' when I've laughed in the past._

 _'_ _I prefer to hold it in.'_

Hoping she could dispel the gloom in Neo's eyes, Ruby smoothed down the splayed strands of pink hair. Ruby lay partially on top of her, their left shoulders touching, nearly reflecting each other's eyes. A comforting grin was given by Ruby when she touched Neo's hair, reigning in the loose strands.

 **'** **I don't think it's weird.**

 **'** **It's cute!'**

Neo took her eyes off of Ruby, staring into her phone. She appeared solaced by Ruby's words, but not convinced. She knew exactly how people thought of her laughter.

 _'_ _You don't have to lie to me._

 _'_ _I know you're being nice, though._

 _'_ _Thank you.'_

~(^з^)-

Neo smiled into Ruby with a tilt of head.

Ruby couldn't be sure if this was a sign of self-consciousness from Neo, or just a fact of her life she had acknowledged. Either way, Ruby couldn't help but feel slightly sorry for Neo, for whom other people had deemed her laugh strange.

Ruby set to work on the brown side of Neo's hair while she thought, caressing the feathery tresses and letting them slide between her fingers. Neo calmly breathed and lay still after sending her text, letting Ruby tend to her hair. There was no indication of went through her mind, as she simply enjoyed the light affection.

Ruby would love to know more about Neo, about the life she led in the orphanage with her friends and Summer, about living with deafness, and about the life she wanted to lead. They had all the time in the world to spend together, and Ruby wanted the time spent with them both comfortable around each other. Fortunately, that was more or less already achieved.

Neo's hair was put back into its original state, Ruby's hand lightly brushing her cheek while smoothing out the brown side.

There was movement below Ruby, and she moved to the side to allow space for Neo to sit.

 _'_ _So, should we do this work?_

 _'_ _We can play around after, if you so desire.'_

(｡'‿'｡)

Neo smirked at her.

Neo planted her hands in the rug to stand, but she only made an inch off the ground. A pair of hands clasped her by the underarms.

Ruby yanked Neo back into a lying position, making her silently gasp. One hand dug into Neo's underarm, causing her to squirm against the touch, the other typed.

 **'** **How long did you tickle me last night?**

 **'** **Because I think it was about 30 minutes.**

 **'** **You've had your fun with me. Now it's my turn.'**

Neo accepted her fate quickly, aware that she was in no position to try and fight back or overpower Ruby.

 _'_ _Please be gentle.'_ Neo looked at her with large, watery eyes as she lay back.

Ruby jumped up and kneeled over Neo, irrevocably pleased.

 **'** **I can't guarantee that.'**

* * *

 **Day 6**

Ruby sat alone in her sign language class. It saddened her, to an extent.

Not only that, but today was a Saturday. Allegedly, this was supposed to be her relaxation time.

The classroom happened to be her Food Studies classroom, because its owner was the only professor who had no qualms with opening his room to this bizarrely timed and new enrichment course. In a way, she preferred that the lesson took place in this classroom, where she had already spent so much time in its spacious interior. It comforted her, somehow. She had no idea who would be teaching this class, so being familiar with at least one aspect of the lesson provided some relief.

Last year, Ruby had spent considerable time within the white, green and grey walls of this classroom, being taught in the arts of cooking and its associated ingredients. Although the lesson was different, Ruby still chose to sit at her usual seat, in the back left corner of the arrangement of long tables and chairs. On the outskirts of the class, the cooking stations were firmly built into the grey walls, each with cabinets below the counters. Each quadrant of cooking stations shared a single faucet.

Everything was always clean and pristine, surfaces sparkling. The floor reflected everything upon it, from the tables and chairs to the plates and chopping boards arranged at the stations, and, mostly, the dark green ceiling. Very few decorations sat upon the walls, so that little broke up the clean colour scheme of white and grey, with an occasional flash of green.

Through the windows to her left, Ruby could see grey clouds on the horizon, a sign of bad weather to come. To combat the encroaching darkness, she turned on a light, making the room much brighter than intended due to the reflective surfaces.

There was a strange sense of irony in Ruby's heart that she could make good food but was not liable to eat it unless necessary. And now that she started to think about this, it started to annoy her. Maybe being in a classroom dedicated to the study of food was not particularly good for her after all. Ruby played at the red scarf around her neck, trying to take her mind off that fact.

Because she was not actually leaving campus, Ruby did not take great pains in choosing her clothes. Today, she opted for her long sleeved grey shirt, but without the red pinafore. Without her pinafore dress, it was visible that her shirt only just covered her small figure, slight movements liable to show a thin strip of her stomach or waist.

And without her dress and typical stockings, Ruby opted for dark jeans, slightly longer than need be to ensure her legs were completely covered, but not long enough to drag on the floor. They ended at her regular black boots, red laced. For a person with a frame as scrawny as Ruby's, a belt was practically required, hence a red, fabric belt around the waist of her jeans. It was tied with a silver, rose shaped buckle.

The final touch of her clothing was her scarlet scarf, unusually lengthy. Even after wrapping it around her neck several times, both dangling ends reached her knees. She kept it wrapped loosely around her neck and chest, and it was so long that she was able to keep small items in the several folds of fabric around her neck and chest, acting as a makeshift pouch.

Having nothing better to do, Ruby took her phone out of her scarf, brushing fingers with her dormitory key.

She had a message from Neo. She didn't know if this was good or bad.

 _'_ _I still can't believe how mean you are, torturing a small, sensitive girl like me for so long! And yes, I am hypocritical._

 _'_ _Anyway, you won't see me today until later tonight. I need to get something ready for the convention tomorrow._

 _'_ _I'll show it to you later. You better look forward to it!_

 _'_ _XXX'_

If Neo declared that she had something to share with others, then the item in question could range from a beautiful painting to a dead puppy. And, most likely, she would expect the other person to be pleasantly surprised either way. Therefore, Ruby decided to wait in trepidation before getting excited by Neo's text.

A minute ticked by, escaping Ruby's notice. And in spite of how the lesson should have started by now, whoever her teacher was had yet to arrive. It was rather rude for a teacher to keep a student waiting, especially when the student actually wanted to attend a class, which was a first for Ruby.

After another minute of drumming her fingers on the desk, she finally heard a voice in the hallway. It was coming towards this room.

"Tch, why are you even coming along?"

The voice belonged to a young man, and was quite recognisable. It echoed in the hallway, addressing somebody else.

"Oh, it's adorable that you thought I would let someone like you teach an entire class by yourself." This voice belonged to a young woman, and was even more familiar as she had heard it often over the past week.

Ruby looked to the door, anticipating the two students.

Mercury and Emerald waltzed inside the room, the tanned girl first, standing in the doorframe. Her pea coloured locks of hair whipped around upon entry.

Ruby tried to think of a word to describe Emerald's clothing. Sharp, or clear-cut, like her clothes were made in the image of flawless gemstones.

A jacket olive and white hung from Emerald's shoulders, cut as a triangle at the back, like a diamond reflecting shades of green. It only reached down to her navel, and her arms were not inside of the sleeves, as though she were afraid to smudge or crease its sharp edges. The olive shades across the jacket could be mistaken for a deeper green, similar to its owner's namesake, in the light, but became lighter towards its zips, slowly starting to resemble a quartz.

Underneath her jacket, Emerald wore a white, buttoned shirt, matching the tone of her jacket's centre. In a similar fashion, she also wore her shirt somewhat untidily, with both the top and bottom button undone, but still somehow made it look as pointed as her jacket.

With the lower button undone, the shirt's bottom opened up, resembling a gem cut in a pear shape, showing a small portion of her midriff up to her navel. Similarly, her slim collarbone and neck were visible, beautiful bronze skin outstanding in the bright room, contrasting with her white clothing.

A brown belt was barely visible below Emerald's fluttering shirt, securing her crisp, pearl coloured trousers, rolled at the bottom to show her ankles. The brown belt matched her low heeled, open top shoes, straps secured around her slender ankles. The rolled up trousers did not shift or fold back down to cover her lower legs as she took a step forward, fastened by something that Ruby couldn't see.

Ruby briefly wondered how Emerald kept her multihued dark and light green jacket on her shoulders, but then she noticed a brown strap contrasting with it and the white, long sleeved shirt. Emerald tugged at it with her left hand, long sleeve rolled up to her elbow, and a small, brown leather purse swayed by her slightly exposed midriff. She had just put her phone inside of it, green jacket swaying over her back as her shoulders moved.

Red eyes purveying the room, Emerald set her sights on the sole occupant. She rubbed both bare forearms, feeling a slight chill in the large room.

"Ruby, is this the sign language class?" Emerald asked, surprise in her voice.

"Yup. It's just me." Ruby shrugged and sighed.

She loved how Emerald's flawless skin juxtaposed her white clothing, and was going to add a compliment when Mercury followed his friend inside, his footsteps louder and flatter compared to the prior clicking of low heels.

Mercury took much less effort in getting dressed, but his simpler clothing still gave him a polished, smooth mien, suitable for his cool, relaxed attitude in Ruby's opinion.

Mercury's black shirt deflected no light, absorbing the brightness as he walked into the classroom, hands in pocket. The tight fitting shirt did not shift as he moved, attached to his well-toned upper body. Only the grey sleeves shifted, standing out from the rest of the black t-shirt, displaying his developed biceps and arms. Though he was not a large person, he was still quite muscular, being an athlete.

The shirt ended at his denim jeans, a shade of blue that bordered on grey, depending on the angle of light. He took a hand out of his pocket, silver watch rattling on his wrist, and checked the time. Unsatisfied with what he saw, he adjusted a grey sleeve and stashed his hand back in his pocket again.

His large silver boots were similar in colour to a pendant insecurely hanging from his neck, contrasting against the dark fabric upon which it bounced. As he stepped beside Emerald, the silver footwear echoed in the room, light blue jeans resting over them with little sway.

"Well, this is gonna be the easiest extra-curricular activity I've ever done." Mercury laughed to himself, silver pendant shifting, pleased by how the class was only occupied by one student.

They stepped further inside and into the arrangement of tables, Emerald's low heels clicking on the floor.

"That's dedication." Emerald chuckled. "Most students would bail if there was nobody else."

Ruby had to admit, she was rather disappointed that nobody else turned up. Then again, did anybody else know that this class was even taking place? She had not seen a single image around the college advertising this enrichment course, or maybe she hadn't looked hard enough.

They took their places in the room. Emerald strolled, relaxed, towards Ruby's desk. Her olive and white short jacket fluttered over a chair as she passed it, trying to navigate the clutter of tables.

She perched on Ruby's desk, white trousers the same shade as that of the table. She rerolled the ends of her trousers as they started slipping over her ankles, and fastened them using one of her shoes' ankle straps.

"So, are you two my teachers?" Ruby asked mostly based on their conversation before entering the classroom.

"Yeah." Mercury answered. "As it turns out, there's only four people in the whole of Beacon who know sign. Guess who they are." Mercury yawned, visibly tired.

In hindsight, Ruby should have expected that. She doubted it was a popular language to study.

Mercury sank into a chair at the front of the room, throwing his silver boots onto a table. His black laces dragged along the table while he shifted and put his hands behind his head. He did not bother keeping his pendant around his neck as it slid around.

"You're fine with this arrangement, right, Ruby?" Emerald put her hands together in her lap. "Just think of all the quality time we'll get to spend together."

Emerald cheerfully smiled.

Seeing Emerald truly smile was a new experience to Ruby. She had seen small smirks, but had not anticipated such a facial expression from the red eyed girl.

"Oh, sure!" Ruby was taken unawares by Emerald's optimism, eyes nervously dancing to the side. "I'm just a little surprised, that's all."

Mercury chuckled to himself.

"I'm sure you won't be surprised if Em does most of the teaching here." Mercury kept his eyes closed, like he wanted to sleep off whatever pain he was feeling.

"God, you're so lazy. It's a good job I'm here to prevent this from being a disaster." Emerald playfully chided him.

Emerald skipped to the front of the class, wearing a nice smile. Her long locks of hair lively flitted on the back of her jacket, mint against viridian.

Mercury leaned forward on the chair, his movements sliding the grey sleeves further up his arms.

"Lazy? I just haven't recovered from last night. Yang knows how to put it away." Mercury breathed out with a hint of vexation.

"Then maybe you shouldn't start a second drinking competition straight after the first one." Emerald kindly and mockingly suggested.

Ruby remembered that Yang took out everyone expect for Ruby and Neo last night. Not that Ruby was complaining. Not because she disliked the others, but because she had far more fun with Neo than she ever would at a club.

"So you all had fun last night?" Ruby asked.

"It was certainly an experience." Emerald admitted. "I can't recommend going out with Yang every night, unfortunately."

"I can't recommend going out with Yang." Ruby amended.

Emerald giggled, which Ruby believed was the first time she heard the tanned girl laugh.

"Oh, she's not that bad. It's just that her party games and ability to coerce people into drinking exceed the expectations of everybody she's with." Emerald elaborated.

"What do you know? You and Weiss didn't touch a drop." Mercury waved her off.

"That's why I was able to see the effects of Yang on everybody else. And _you_ are a bigger lightweight than you let on." She accusatorily pointed at him.

"Eh, what?" Mercury threw his head to the side as if trying to evade her statement. "I can handle any amount, you just imagined me passing out in my vomit."

Emerald ignored him, and Ruby had to agree with that plan. Emerald whipped around to face her, bottom of her white shirt showing her navel for a split second.

"Why don't you join us next time, Ruby? Neo, too, of course." She suggested, leaning forward on a table.

"Me?" Ruby pointlessly asked. "Sorry, I'm not much of a night owl." She almost sadly said.

Ruby personally hated going out at night. After learning that Summer was killed at night, Ruby had an aversion to staying out after dark, even if Yang or her friends offered to stay out with her. Even in the quaint town in which Beacon resided, Ruby couldn't bring herself to walk the streets at a late time.

"Neo's the same. You two have quite a few elements in common, which I'm sure you're glad to hear."

Emerald punctuated it with a giggle. For some reason, it made Ruby blush more than necessary. What other kinds of similarities really existed between herself and Neo? They both feared for their respective futures, and studied Art and Design, but other than these, she couldn't think of too many. This wasn't a bad thing; it made their time together more interesting.

Interrupting their conversation, there was a knock at the door. Eyes turned to a newcomer.

Cinder stood in the doorway, not hesitating in interjecting.

In Ruby's vision, crackling crimson erupted from the grey hallway, startling shades of red slashing the banality behind it. The scarlets donned by Cinder drew all attention towards her with compelling grace.

Her red, off the shoulder dress sparked ablaze in the light. Everything about her outfit seemed to be chosen to accentuate her scarlet dress, particularly her black bolero jacket. It made Ruby think of Weiss' typical bolero jacket, but as dark as coal, as though it fuelled the flaming reds hugging her body. Gold trimmings scored the sleeves to her wrists, like lines of lava leading to her red nails.

Her stockings were similar in tone to her jacket, charcoal black spreading over her legs. Both thighs of the stockings were emblazoned with a golden emblem, like a searing tattoo. It took Ruby a single glance to see what it was, as it stood out so brightly, and it appeared to be a heart made of two heeled shoes.

It was a fitting emblem, as Cinder wore black, high heeled shoes that added to her height. Even without them, she would be the tallest person in the room. The shoes matched a dangling dark bead earring hanging from her right ear on the opposite side of her hair, in its regular style.

"So, this is where you've been hiding." Cinder nonchalantly spoke, flicking the tip of her hair over her collarbone, grey tips against her smooth skin.

"Sup." Mercury gave a two fingered salute.

"Hi, Cinder." Ruby gave a short wave.

"Hey, Cinder. You're still functioning, I see." Emerald gave an astute observation.

"Yes," Cinder slowly breathed out, as though purging herself of hangover pains, "more so than every other drinker last night."

"Including Mercury."

To emphasise this, Emerald loudly and cheerfully clapped into Mercury's ear, making him clutch his head in pain.

"Hey, what the Hell?" Mercury asked, annoyed.

Cinder walked inside, arms crossed over her chest. Her dark and gold trimmed bolero embraced her shoulders as she moved, the end of her red dress fluttering with each step.

She perched herself on the table next to Ruby, in arm's length of the smaller girl. She kept her legs closed and crossed, leaning on both hands against the desk. Ruby had only now taken the time to notice this at such close proximity, but Cinder was certainly a beautiful woman.

"I sincerely hope you're not too much in pain, Mercury." Cinder took a smartphone out of her bolero jacket's small inner pocket, checking it for messages. "I need you and Emerald to help me with my panel preparations for tomorrow."

"Me? Get Neo to do it." Mercury nearly whined his statement.

Cinder glanced at Ruby from the corner of her eye, her black earring swinging on her ear.

"Ruby, have you and Neo finished your assignment yet?" She succinctly asked.

"No. We're finishing it tonight." Ruby responded in kind.

"Exactly, so Mercury, I need you and Emerald to assist me." Cinder tilted her head with a smile.

"Do I get compensation for this?" Mercury quickly said, sneaking in the matter.

Cinder gave two short laughs.

"No." She bluntly shut him down.

"I tried." Mercury rolled his eyes with a smirk.

"I would think that just the act of helping me would be its own reward. Where is your compassion, Mercury?' Cinder playfully teased.

"I think I drowned it in alcohol last night."

"Try and salvage it before tomorrow." Emerald's voice was strained as she stretched her arms as far as possible in front of her, white sleeves falling over her forearms. "You know how much tomorrow means to all of us."

Cinder leaned on her side on the table, able to look Ruby in the eyes. Ruby tried not to look at her lithe body spread across the table for fear of appearing rude, but her eyes were temporarily drawn to the golden heart emblem on her stockings again.

"And while we're on the subject of the convention," Cinder directly addressed Ruby," Ruby, I'm being given the tickets later tonight, so I'll drop yours and your friends' off at your dormitory at around eight."

"Oh, thank you." Ruby instinctively made herself blush, just to make certain that her gratitude could be seen.

Cinder continued to look at her. Ruby felt that the gaze may be one of judgment, as though Cinder was making sure that she was a trustworthy person.

"You and I haven't spoken too much, have we?" Cinder commented, but in a friendly fashion. "If you have any requests from me, don't hesitate to ask."

"Thank you." Ruby happily repeated. "I can't really do anything for you, though…"

Cinder chuckled at Ruby's regret.

"I don't want anything from you, other than you get along with everybody." Her tone was warm, but Ruby felt it masked a serious edge.

"Of course!" Ruby blurted. "Emerald, Mercury, we get along, right?" She reached out for their affirmation.

Ruby couldn't figure out why, but she felt an impulse to appease Cinder, to stay on the taller woman's good side. Although Cinder had been nothing but nice up to this point, she wielded a mature, intimidating aura. As she lay on the table, staring into Ruby with burning eyes and a warm smile, she commanded a captivating gravity. If Ruby did not know better of Cinder, she would be intimidated whenever the fiery woman was in the room.

Emerald followed up quickly and excitably, tapping the tip of her heel on the floor, hands behind her back. Although she had been somewhat stoic to most people lately, she seemed to agree with Ruby, anyway, potentially sensing the red scarfed girl's faint unease.

"That's right, like gemstones in a jewellery store."

Emerald paused, possibly waiting for praise for what she believed to be a smart line. She appeared disappointed when Mercury continued without missing a beat.

"You're okay, I guess. Come out once in a while, and you'll be better."

He referred to how she missed the previous escapades of everybody else for the prior two nights. Ruby wanted to defend her decision using her excuse of being with Neo instead of not being particularly outgoing, but Cinder spoke before she could do so.

"Ignore him. You don't have to go out at night if you don't want to." Cinder rolled her eyes at Mercury, disagreeing with him to Ruby's relief. "Besides, you've spent quite a good portion of time getting familiar with Neo, the yin to your yang."

Ruby wasn't sure if she would word it like that, but she knew where Cinder was coming from.

"Yeah, and, uh, I can't really complain about that." Ruby shrugged, rolling her head to the side and giggling. "Just so you know, I'll try to make sure everybody is a friend of everybody, too."

"Good. I thank you."

Cinder leaned away from the table and departed from it, standing. She straightened her crimson dress with a hand and readjusted her bolero jacket. For a moment, she did nothing, though she visibly had something else on her mind. Emerald and Mercury saw it too, and waited for her to speak.

When she decided to say what she was thinking, Cinder smiled, her hair covering some of her mouth. She faced away from Ruby, and spoke in a quiet tone.

"You're an awfully nice person, aren't you? Very kind. And yet… you're Summer's daughter. Strange. The apple fell far from the tree, thankfully."

Emerald and Mercury glanced at Cinder, their expressions dropping in that brief instance. Ruby stared into Cinder's legs, not moving after hearing the words that rattled in her mind.

A cold hand wrenched Ruby's heart, stopping her from breathing. It came so suddenly that Ruby had not realised it until the chill spread through her spine. The skeletal touch of freezing fear made her want to cry as she had done so many times in the past.

What Cinder had said was not something Ruby wanted to hear.

Ruby was unsure of whether or not her breathing would return when there was a new noise in the classroom. She sharply breathed in, realising that reality was passing her by.

She didn't know if the other three noticed her reaction, but regardless, they were now looking towards the door, where the noise had originated. Abandoning her fear, she looked too, trying to pretend that Cinder's words were a product of poor hearing. She simply misheard Cinder, that's all.

A small, thin figure stood in the doorway, draped in white. Her body barely blocked the light in the hallway, and carried little presence.

Weiss' hand was on the door, staring directly at Ruby.

Weiss had opted for her favourite dress, pure white with black trimmings and edges. Four black buttons were scored across the front, same in tone to the heels of her high heeled boots. Once upon a time, she had dubbed this outfit as 'Snowpea,' not that Ruby understood the meaning of the name.

"Ah, Ruby." Weiss happily set her eyes on her friend. "Have you seen my-"

Weiss was entering the classroom, ponytail flapping around her neck, when she stopped in her tracks. Her eyes initially resembled icicles, stabbing her gaze at Emerald, now noticing the others in the room.

However, her eyes softened upon Cinder and Mercury staring at her, unsure of what to make of their occupation in the room. Nobody spoke for a few seconds, let alone moved.

Ruby thought it best to pretend that nothing was wrong between Weiss and Emerald. There may be better results this way.

"What's up?" Ruby asked, tapping a finger on the desk.

Weiss exhaled, not in a mood that would allow her to tolerate the presence of somebody she disliked. She glanced away from Emerald.

"Never mind, I'll come back later." Weiss muttered, eyes to the ground.

She turned around, hand on the door, intent on leaving. She seemed to hesitate in her movements, awkwardly.

"You're not leaving because of me, are you?" Emerald asked, putting on a strangely cute display of faux harm.

At Emerald's words, Weiss looked over her shoulders. She might have been expecting something more insulting from her nemesis. Her eyes were larger than usual.

"I, um…" Weiss staggered, unsure of how to say what she was feeling or thinking.

"You came here for a reason, right?" Emerald pushed.

Weiss may have been taken off-guard by Emerald's prodding, as though she thought somebody else would be the one to do so. More than that, she could only have been surprised that Emerald was going out of her way to talk to her.

"I wanted to pick up something I left here yesterday." Weiss swallowed, wondering if Emerald was leading her into an argument.

"Please don't let me get in the way of whatever you want to do."

Both Ruby and Weiss were staring at Emerald. At this point, even Ruby thought this show being put on by Emerald was strange.

"Okay." Weiss sighed.

Weiss entered the classroom again and walked towards a work station, where she and Ruby always worked in this classroom, avoiding eye contact with everybody else. As she did so, she moved with slight apprehension, like she was avoiding a trap of sorts, which could have been sprung at any second. She had anticipated Emerald's kindness to be a ruse, and Ruby couldn't blame her.

All the while, nobody said anything, everyone watching Weiss or Emerald. It visibly annoyed the heiress that eyes were on her during the silence, and made her want to retreat into a shell.

"You don't have to be shy." Emerald giggled. "We're just having a nice conversation."

At this, Weiss breathed through her nose and looked down sadly. This was the last place she wanted to be, with the last person with whom she wanted to interact, even if Emerald was displaying none of her characteristics from over the prior week.

"Then you certainly don't want me here. I'll take my leave." Weiss anxiously turned around after picking up a white pencil case, emblazoned with a snowflake emblem.

Emerald took a step around the table at the back at the room, standing in the way between Weiss and the door. Her heels clicked loudly, much like those belonging to Weiss.

Weiss jumped at Emerald's movements, and Ruby had to wonder what she was afraid of. Did Weiss think that Emerald was about to engage in physical contact?

"Don't be stupid. You're not busy on a Saturday of all days, are you?" Emerald continued to try and persuade Weiss, sounding nonchalant, like there they had never argued or exchanged words until now.

"Well, no, but…"

Weiss fiddled with her pencil case. The items inside rattled around, disturbing the strange, solemn stillness inside the classroom.

"Then sit down." Emerald quickly interrupted her before she could find an excuse to leave. "You're welcome here, believe it or not."

Weiss was now looking at Emerald as though she were insane.

Ruby was hypnotised by the display. Emerald was going out of her way to be nice to Weiss, who had no idea what was happening. Cinder and Mercury were saying nothing, sitting together at the front of the classroom.

"Normally, I would argue not…"

Regardless, Weiss obeyed Emerald. She sat next to Ruby.

In her mind, Ruby started running through theories of what happened to Emerald's personality, and she suspected Weiss was doing the same thing. Maybe Cinder had a talk with Emerald and told her to be more friendly. Maybe she felt bad about always clashing with Weiss. Maybe she had a split personality.

No matter what, it pleased Ruby that somebody was being the bigger person and trying to make amends.

"If we're spending the morning here, we may as well get some drinks. What do you all want?" Emerald offered as she stood by the door.

"Water."

"Water."

"Coke."

Weiss was the only who did not answer, deep in thought.

"Weiss?"

"Hm?" Weiss looked up at her, surprised.

"I'm getting you a drink. What would you like?" Emerald's hands were over her purse's brown strap as she spoke.

Weiss was completely thrown off.

"Juice, please." She plainly said.

"Sure thing! I'll be right back."

Emerald bounced out of the room, white and olive jacket flapping at the open button near her almost visible navel. Skipping outside, her footsteps could be heard for a few seconds before disappearing.

Weiss slowly turned to the others.

"Okay, what's going on here?" She stammered. "Terrifyingly, Emerald's acting the same way as my sister before she asked me for a kidney."

However, donating a kidney scared Weiss because there was doubt over whether or not her frail body was strong enough to survive a surgery, not helped by her dietary 'habits,' as she once called it while sobbing when confronted over a toilet by a teary eyed Ruby.

 _This_ scared Weiss because she had no idea why her new arch-rival was behaving this way. There was a reason behind any act.

"Emerald was being nice to you." Mercury drowsed, having almost fallen asleep to purge his hangover pains.

"Nice? Really?" Weiss raised an eyebrow.

At this point, Mercury and Cinder couldn't get away with pretending that Emerald was the same as always.

"Yeah," Ruby followed up, trying not to sound too inquisitive, "she's like a whole different person today. What happened?"

"She's just nicer today. Don't question it." Cinder commanded, speaking in a tone that suggested that speaking back was not an option.

However, Weiss either missed her tone of voice or chose to ignore it.

"I could accept that she's just nicer, but I could also accept Bipolar Disorder as a reason, or maybe I'm actually hallucinating, or maybe-"

Mercury cut her off, and, for the first time today, had some force to his words.

"Look, it's the weekend." He seemed to think this was a satisfactory solution. "After working your ass off all week, don't you want to have a nice, relaxing weekend?"

"Yes, but this goes beyond simply wanting to relax and into sheer bizarreness-"

Cinder approached and towered over Weiss, her heels striking the floor with surprisingly loud echoes.

Immediately, Weiss flinched, shrinking back in front of the taller woman. Cinder almost slammed both hands on the table and leaned in on Weiss, orange eyes burning into her.

"Weiss, pay attention." Cinder assertively spoke at her. "Emerald doesn't want enemies, nor pointless engagements with an immature bitch, nor stress on days when she should be able to unwind. She spends the entire week working to help make our dreams a reality, through fatigue and pressure to make sure the four of us will be successful after college. Now the week is over. Therefore, she just wants to spend time with friends, take this chance to try and make amends with that immature bitch, and relax without the stress of college work. What you just saw was Emerald out of her shell, and that is no hallucination."

Weiss quivered before Cinder, lips arched downwards and eyes moist, frightened of the aggression that she put forth. Anybody watching without listening to them would have believed that Cinder was about to strike Weiss. Even Ruby was about to pull her friend away.

"Okay…" Weiss whispered.

Cinder scoffed as she flicked her charcoal hair.

"You're actually quite the mewling kitten, aren't you?" Cinder chuckled under her breath.

Cinder calmly walked back to her original position by Mercury, who at least pretended to be disinterested.

Weiss' gaze fell on the table, unable to talk back to someone with such imposing gravitas. This was far from a first for the heiress, and it wouldn't be the last, but seeing her friend broken or fearful always struck Ruby's heart. However, as much as she wanted to, Ruby couldn't summon the courage to verbally soothe Weiss when Cinder was still in the room. She still wanted to give some assistance, though.

Though Weiss had certainly displayed immaturity yesterday and had fault in the matter, she was still Ruby's friend. Ruby reached under the table and put a hand on Weiss' knee, offering her emotional encouragement. Weiss looked at her from the corner of her eye, blue icicles watery, like she had been melted by Cinder.

'Thank you.' Weiss mouthed, grateful for Ruby's support.

Ruby offered an end of her scarf, staring into Weiss' wet eyes. When one cried as much as Ruby tended to, having a soft piece of fabric around one's neck proved useful. Weiss accepted the red cloth, nodding her thanks.

As Weiss started dabbing her eyes with Ruby's scarf end, footsteps could be heard outside.

Emerald re-entered, carrying their drinks close to her chest. She failed to notice the atmosphere change, as everybody now stood apart, watching her walk in.

"Here…" Emerald paused as she reached the table. "Did something happen?"

Emerald was looking at Weiss, concerned.

"No." Weiss responded, quick to deny the previous conversation.

The heiress quickly pressed the scarf back into Ruby's hand and glanced up. Emerald could see that something was wrong, but chose not to pursue the issue.

Emerald dumped the drinks on the desk. Everybody grabbed their choice, giving their thanks, and resumed their position. Ruby and Weiss sat next to each other at the same table, opposite Mercury who had barely moved, still in a semi-lying pose. Emerald sat on Mercury's desk, scratching at a smudge on her white shirt, to the side of the small midriff she showed. Cinder stood tall above them, one arm crossed over her chest and another holding a bottle of water.

"This is the weirdest class I've been to for a while." Ruby commented to cut the silence.

"Oh, right, this is supposed to be a sign class, isn't it?" Emerald put a hand to her mouth, recalling the circumstances of this meeting.

"There's nothing wrong with taking a few minutes for some nice conversation." Mercury had finished his water quickly, tossing and catching his bottle in the air.

"Sadly, there is for me." Cinder stated. "I need to get back to work. I have a presentation to edit for the panel tomorrow."

Cinder stood by the window, watching the grey clouds in the distance. Her crackling crimson colour scheme burned against the mundanity outside.

"So, what's the panel about?" Ruby inquired, still having little knowledge of what exactly was going to happen tomorrow.

"Nothing interesting to all of you, I'm sure. Just advice for upcoming writers, how I wrote my novels, things of that nature." Cinder lazily shrugged with a single hand raised in indifference. "I give the people what they want."

"And that little something extra, too…" Emerald hinted with a wink.

Ruby recalled Neo's words last night. Tomorrow, she would find out what Neo and her friends wanted to do after college, and why they chose their specific subjects.

"Something extra?" Ruby attempted to bait out more information, but made it too obvious, not skilled in data gathering unless her target was a small ticklish girl.

"Heh, never you mind for now." Cinder teasingly spoke. "Well, I'm done here. See you-"

Cinder was walking away and towards the door when Weiss called out.

"C-Can I go?" Weiss spluttered. "Please? I mean, if it's not too late."

Emerald and Mercury watched Weiss carefully, the former surprised. After all, Weiss had blatantly declared her refusal to go in front of Emerald, and now she had suddenly changed her mind. Ruby was glad that Weiss altered her decision, and waited patiently with her as Cinder looked back at them over her bolero.

"I had a suspicion you would have a change of heart. Don't worry, you can have one of the tickets." Cinder reassured, with a tone that suggested she knew this would happen.

"Thank you…" Weiss respectably bowed her head.

Cinder waved her away while throwing her head back to the door, not willing to give Weiss anymore of her time.

"I'm off. See you all later."

Cinder left without looking back. Her heels clicked on the floor of the hallway, still audible for thirty seconds after her departure.

Ruby could feel the room become less oppressive for lack of Cinder's presence. She had tensed considerably since comforting Weiss, and only just realised that Cinder was the cause. Now, fortunately, she could relax, as did her friend.

"And Emerald?" Weiss continued, deciding to rid herself of all misgivings.

"Yes?" Emerald may have been waiting for this, hands calmly in her lap.

"I'm sorry." Weiss was quick to expel her words, like they were venomous to her health. "I was being a child, and you were right."

"You don't have to apologise." Emerald responded as though it was silly. "It sounds strange coming from you."

"Um…" Weiss didn't know what to say in response. Thankfully, Emerald chose not to stay on the subject.

"Would you like to stay for a while?"

Emerald presented the chalkboard at the front of the class. At some point, she had scrawled on 'Signing 101!' followed by ¯\\(©¿©) /¯

So, Neo's use of emotes was infectious, Ruby could see.

"Yeah, I don't want to be the only learner here." Ruby encouraged Weiss, trying to follow Emerald's train of thought.

"I'll stay, but I'm not very good at languages." Weiss conceded with no resistance.

"I'm glad." Smiling, Emerald was satisfied with the response. She was about to write on the chalkboard again when she stopped herself and addressed Ruby. "By the way, Ruby, British Sign Language or American Sign Language?"

"What?" Ruby had to run the question through her head again.

"Which one do you want to learn?" The answer came as a matter of fact.

"Wait, there's more than one? Seriously!?" Ruby squeaked, in disbelief.

"Please forgive Ruby, Emerald. For being such a bright person, she can be awfully dim." Weiss added with a smile.

"So I see…"

With that, Emerald taught Ruby and Weiss while Mercury fell asleep without them noticing.

In the end, Ruby and Emerald never found out why Weiss initially refused to go to the convention. Even though the matter was positively resolved, Ruby made a mental note to ask Weiss on her opinion of their new friends some time later. Maybe the response would reveal why. Or maybe Weiss was just being petty and silly, which was admittedly very likely.

Ruby ultimately decided on American Sign Language, the version used by Neo and her friends, as well as the version of her home country. Although pretty much anyone in England who could use sign language would only ever use the British variant, which would be important if she wanted to get a qualification in this area, Ruby was specifically aiming to get closer to a nice and pretty girl, which, naturally, was far more important. That's how it played out in her mind, anyway.

They spent the morning going through the basics of the language, known as fingerspelling, and with zero arguments between Emerald and Weiss. The heiress remained friendly the entire time.

After the class was over, at around lunchtime, Ruby went back to her dormitory.

As her door clicked shut, Ruby noted that she was alone in her dormitory. The curtains were open and giving a view of the darkening clouds, as well as the green courtyard below. It was so dark that Ruby decided to turn on the light as she entered, shredding away the shadows.

She kicked off her boots and stood on the red rug for a minute, her black socks against the fabric. Her elongated scarf matched the rug, almost draping upon it, as she wheeled around to inspect her dormitory. She momentarily considered changing out of her grey shirt and dark jeans and into something more comfortable, but decided that it wasn't worth the effort. She would be seeing Neo later, though it would be nice to relax in pyjamas again if the topic came up.

Presumably, Blake had vanished to the college library, or maybe the library in town. No doubt she was excited for Cinder's panel tomorrow, being a big fan and all. It made Ruby think that she should have recommended to Cinder to recruit Blake's assistance in setting up the panel. It certainly would have excited the golden eyed girl. Another thing Ruby looked forward to tomorrow was seeing how emotional Blake could potentially get at the panel, knowing that she had befriended her favourite writer.

Yang was also nowhere to be seen, and she could be doing literally anything, literally anywhere, if she wasn't at the dormitory. She couldn't have been too hungover if she was gone, so she had another point over Mercury.

Ruby's neck vibrated. She took her phone out of her scarf, having received a message.

Speak of the devil and she shall appear. The message was from Yang.

'There's noodles in the cupboard. Me and Blake are shopping and spending the day out, so text if you want anything.

'Make one for Weiss if she's there.'

Ruby sadly smiled. Yang was making sure that she and Weiss were eating, and she had hardly let up on the matter as time went on.

Ruby would have to eat now. Yang would notice if the instant noodles were still in the cupboard when she came back. Even if Ruby just discarded the food somehow, Yang would see the lack of used utensils.

Before she prepared the instant noodles, Ruby replied.

 **'** **Weiss is with Winter.'**

Ruby entered the kitchenette, taking the small cup of noodles out of a white cupboard near the faucet. She filled the kettle and started boiling water when another text came through.

'Good. Winter will make sure she eats.

'See you later. Love you!'

:)

A small grin crept on Ruby's lips as steam rose from the kettle. She put her phone back in her scarf and poured the boiling water into the cup.

After a couple of minutes of letting the noodles settle, the only sound being a light wind against the window and the occasional shouts of other students in the dormitory block, Ruby picked up the cup and a fork. She didn't really have a favourite flavour, but chicken and mushroom was tolerable enough.

She briefly contemplated what to do. Weiss was with Winter, Yang and Blake were shopping, Cinder, Emerald and Mercury were at the convention getting a panel ready, and Neo said she had something to prepare today. Ruby had some time to herself.

Except there was one last person in the room, in Ruby's mind. She decided to give an update of recent events to Summer.

The light wind turned into something heavier as Ruby sat on the soft red rug, her scarf trailing over it. She stared up and into the image of herself and Summer on the window side cabinet. Against the dark clouds, the yellows of the picture frame stood out like a golden sun.

The image of the dark haired, silver eyed woman was as fresh in the picture frame as it was in Ruby's memory. Summer's eyes were soft in her lined, smiling face, black hair gently fluttering in a breeze along with her long, silver coat. The picture was taken during the winter, but an unusually pleasant light enveloped them. It was only the flash of light from the camera, though.

A much younger Ruby was perched on Summer's lap, beaming at the camera. Her red coat contrasted with Summer's silvers, and she did not have her red streaks of hair yet. Both of their sets of silver eyes were just as bright as the other.

They both wore red scarves, mother and daughter donning the same brand. The two crimson fabrics flowed in the wind, entwined together, twisting and joining in unity. The only difference between the scarves was their respective emblems; each scarf held two, one on each end, making for four emblems between them. They were darker in tone to the rest of the scarf, but in the picture, they were partially obscured by the twists and folds, as well as the less than optimal graphical fidelity.

"Hey, mom." Ruby started.

"I've been a little busy this week. Just a typical start for the new college year, work, work, work. I've got an art assignment to do with Neo, and we're finishing it tonight. We won't do anything weird, I promise, maybe.

"Speaking of who, I just came back from my sign class. A couple of my new friends are teaching it, too. Yeah, you know why I'm studying it. The closer I can get to her, the better, right? Neo's super nice and funny, and it's nice to know that she's a regular student just like me. She had a little freak out with the assignment, and I get where she's coming from, so I want to help her complete it."

Ruby looked at the instant noodles in her hand, the steam rising rapidly. Under Summer's gaze, she felt compelled to start eating, like her mother was watching her starve.

"I know, I need to keep eating. I got a free pass on how little I ate when I was sick a couple of days ago, but now that I'm better again, Yang's cracking down on me. I'm glad she's here, because I don't think I have the discipline to help myself. Something about the texture of most food just makes me sick to think about eating. If it was up to me, I'd just drink soup for the rest of my life, but that's no way to eat.

"I really don't know what's wrong with me. Maybe it's the same thing that Weiss has, but sort of different at the same time. I can't explain it. I don't know why, but I really lost my appetite after that one week of Hell when I broke up with Velvet. You remember that, right? Well, no one forgot. I think I told you about all of it. The knives, the sobbing, the nihilism, the not wanting to eat, the pushing everyone away, the self-destruction. Yeah, it wasn't great."

"I swear though, I'm over that. I'm doing my best to eat three square meals a day, for you, for Yang, and for all my friends. I'm better now."

In Ruby's mind, this begged the question of what she would do without them. Maybe it was better not to think about it. And now, she had more friends in addition to Yang, Blake and Weiss.

"By the way, I think I've made friends with all of Neo's buddies, too. Mercury is a bit iffy, but he's probably nicer than he looks. And Cinder can be a little intimidating. She almost made Weiss cry. Still, I don't think she's a bad person, I mean, she's getting us all tickets for a convention tomorrow. I think she really wants us all to get along. As for Emerald, she's kind, too, but can be pretty straight-faced depending on when you talk to her. I think we'll all be good friends, give or take a few months.

"You know how you worked at the orphanage where they spent their childhoods? Well… I've decided I don't want to ask about their pasts anymore. Let sleeping dogs lie, right? If they had a bad childhood, I don't have a right to pry into it. I don't know what kind of landmines I'm gonna step on."

Ruby ate her noodles for the first time, looking away from Summer. She took a moment to let the water drip back into the cup before putting the noodles in her mouth. One bite down, many more to go.

After swallowing, she tapped her fork against the cup, and sighed. She wasn't sure of how to word her next few sentences.

"Do you want to know another big reason?"

She stopped, staring into the red rug, her scarf melding into it. From the corner of her eye, she could see an emblem on her scarf, depicting a stem with rose petals in the middle of spouting.

"I get the feeling I won't like what I hear.

"I love you, mom. I really do. You've been with me my entire life, and I know I'll love you for as long as I live."

Ruby stood. Her eyes were focused on Summer.

"I can't let anything betray that."

Ruby shut away the thoughts of Cinder commenting on Summer. It was for the best that Ruby learned nothing about that orphanage. If it came to light that Summer was involved in the mistreatment of Neo and her friends, then Ruby…

Ruby wouldn't even know what she would do.

Therefore, it was easier to turn her eyes away from the pasts of Neo and her friends, from the orphanage, and from the history of Summer. Ruby would much rather live with her normal, lifelong knowledge that Summer was a loving and caring person.

Suppressing any sort of pain that might come about from any source, whether it be her future, her college work, or Summer's past, was much easier than really facing it. Ignoring and avoiding her problems like they didn't exist was always easier, and ensured that she didn't breakdown again as she did with her breakup. Life after college? Not worth thinking about. Feeling the pressure of college work? She knew the content, anyway. Her mother's death and anything that might have happened at the orphanage? Summer was a loving person, so Ruby didn't need to care.

As she thought about this, Ruby looked down at her noodles. Strangely, they seemed much less appetising all of a sudden. She felt even less of a desire to eat now.

How odd.

Ruby left the image of Summer and clambered to her bed, forcing herself to finish her noodles.

She still had several hours to burn, and in order to wile them away, Ruby appropriated Weiss' PlayStation Vita, having nothing better to do. This might have been an opportune moment to obtain the assignment from Neo and finish it, but not only did she not want to disturb the other girl right now, she really wanted to finish it as a pair. She wasn't going to rid herself of one of the main reasons for why they were spending nights together.

By the time that dinner time, or tea, as it was known in the U.K, came around, Ruby had expected Yang and Blake to return. Of course, when Yang said 'day out,' she meant it. They would probably be back at 6PM, another hour from now.

Ruby took it upon herself to eat dinner as well, grounded in the resolve forged by her friends and Summer. She saw a tin of minestrone soup in the cupboard earlier. While she said that she would rather not consume soup all the time for the sake of a minimally balanced diet, that implied she could still have it sometimes. Something she could drink fell down her throat much easier than anything she had to chew and taste.

As evening dawned, the weather outside had hardly improved. Ruby had polished off her bowl of soup and set it down in the faucet to clean when a light rain cascaded outside, and the dark clouds suggested it would be getting heavier. This would probably prompt Yang and Blake to return soon. It would be lunacy to want to stay outside in such grim weather.

Hopefully, Yang would be pleased by Ruby's ability to eat today. She couldn't place why, but seeking validation from Yang filled her with a strange sense of glee, like she had done something right.

Her neck vibrated again. She took out her phone.

A message from Neo.

 _'_ _Come to my dorm._

 _'_ _Second floor, left from the stairs._

How could Ruby refuse?

Happy that she was about to have some company, Ruby straightened her shirt and jeans, slipping her feet back into her boots. She put her phone in her scarf, performing another wrap around so that it didn't drag on the floor.

Putting Weiss' Vita back under the owner's pillow, she scribbled out a note. It said 'Gone to Neo's dorm. Stop thinking dirty thoughts.'

Ruby skipped into the hallway and locked the door behind her.

The second floor of the dormitory block was relatively simple in aesthetics. A soft, green floor cushioned Ruby's steps as she cheerfully strolled through the grey hallway. Green and grey was something of a hallmark in Beacon, with almost every hall adopting the colour scheme, after the headmaster's favourite colours. There were also two rooms in Beacon that used these colours, the headmaster's office, and his classroom where he taught his lessons.

Within the minute, Ruby found herself in front of a plain white door, set in its black frame. The grey walls flanked it on either side, with no decorations. The staircase leading up and down to different floors sat to its left. There wasn't a single person in sight, but she could hear chatter from other nearby rooms.

Ruby rapped her knuckles on the door, the noise echoing in the hallway.

…

…

Thirty seconds later, and mentally slapping herself for that bout of stupidity, Ruby sent a Skype message.

 **'** **I'm outside.'**

It creaked open, and an unfamiliar girl stood before her.

At first, Ruby assumed that she was at the wrong dormitory, and when she knocked on the door, this young woman just took a long time to answer it. She was about to apologise for bothering the unknown girl. But then, she actually looked at the person in the doorframe.

Ruby failed to identify the most striking thing about this new girl, if only because there were so many features to take in. Silver eyes met green eyes, as bright as emeralds, and Ruby processed the information in her mind.

On either side of her green eyes, the girl's dark hair sat in twintails courtesy of a pair of white bows, each resting on her shoulder. Her fringe, slightly lighter in shade to the rest of her hair, hung over her smirking face, contrasting against her pale skin.

A black, sleeveless blouse fluttered on her upper body, white ruffles flickering as the gust of wind struck her. Ruby did her best not to stare at the girl's exposed skin; particularly her midriff, untoned but slim and sleek. And when Ruby looked down to avoid staring at her body, she ended up staring at her thin legs instead, mostly left uncovered by short black shoes and her skirt, fastened by a white belt.

The girl waved, her bare arms only accompanied by black gloves, the white ribbon on the collar waving almost in synchronised movement.

"H-H…" Ruby cleared her throat, mouth agape and eyes transfixed, but trying not to show that she was very much taken with the girl. "Hi. Sorry, I've got the wrong dormitory, I-I'm looking for-"

Ruby's voice cracked at the end. Her nerves were falling apart in the presence of this gorgeous girl.

If she didn't have it out for Neo, Ruby considered, then this girl would be her immediate target of interest. It was almost too bad.

But then, the girl started typing on her phone.

Seeing the girl type at such speed, Ruby knew who it was. Who else typed that quickly? Actually, more than that, who else typed on their phone to communicate? And who else was that short?

Ruby was still processing that this black haired girl was Neo when the phone's display illuminated her face.

 _'_ _You've been deceived._

 _'_ _You assumed I was a regular kawaii gothic lolita._

 _'_ _But it was me, Neo!'_

As it turned out, processing this information was rather difficult. Even when a text message was shoved in her face, Ruby had trouble believing it. She had no reaction for ten seconds, jaw ajar.

Ruby knew that she had to say something soon. She had been staring at Neo for too long, mostly because she found the shorter girl even more attractive in these clothes, not that Neo wasn't attractive normally; it was only because more skin was on display, and Ruby had difficulty peeling her eyes away. She found herself hot under the collar.

 _'_ _Golly, you're really swooning over me right now.'_ Neo beamed at her.

 _'_ _Looks like I've stumbled on your secret turn-on._

 _'_ _This is highly useful information to me.'_

"What, no, no, I-" Ruby turned beet red.

Ruby really didn't want Neo to know that she hit the nail on the head. Although, Neo had pretty much already figured this out.

Ruby turned to her phone to explain herself.

 **'** **I sqwear im just realy-'** Ruby deleted the message and tried again.

 **'** **I wasn't expecting this to be your type of fashion.**

 **'** **You seriously make it work.'**

Her attempts at a normal conversation to divert attention away from her red, heated face proved fruitless, as Neo's eyes bore into her cheeks, amused.

 _'_ _Yes, you definitely have a thing for this._

 _'_ _Your blush is so cute!'_

Neo leaned forward and pinched Ruby's cheeks, gleefully relishing in the embarrassed girl's adorable awkwardness. Ruby tried to brush her away, squirming back from the thumb and finger, incessantly giggling.

Neo started typing again when Ruby managed to shake her off.

 _'_ _I didn't think you would come so early._

 _'_ _If you sent me a message thirty seconds sooner, I might have needed to answer the door half dressed.'_ Neo winked, possibly not being serious.

However, it was with those several thoughts that Ruby felt blood rush to her head.

 **'** **Do you mind if I use your bathroom real quick?'**

* * *

 **Day 6- Night**

Ruby washed the blood from her nose.

Ruby wasn't good with heat at the best of times, commonly getting small nosebleeds during the summer. This wasn't particularly large either, only a few small drops, but she couldn't help be both embarrassed and annoyed. She knew she was better around attractive girls than she just displayed, not normally flustered, and generally able to keep her cool. This included being able to stop the heat from rushing to her head. Still, Neo had bested her.

She wasn't too sure if Neo saw her nosebleed, mainly because Ruby was a blur as she dashed to the bathroom.

Ruby looked into the mirror of the standard bathroom, her own figure blocking her view of the shower. She splashed water against her face, wiping at the trickle of blood, and made sure not to spray scarlet on the faucet. There was already a faint black mess in the faucet, likely black hair dye, seeing as Neo spent the day readying her appearance.

That could have been much more embarrassing, Ruby knew. If she stayed still for another second, Neo would have seen the blood for certain and probably humiliate her to no end. In fact, Neo might have figured out why Ruby needed to suddenly rush to the bathroom, anyway. There was nothing for it but to enter the dormitory and judge Neo's reaction.

During her time in the bathroom, Ruby was eye level with a white cabinet on her left, next to the closed door. It had no covers, displaying a variety of toiletries on its four rows, each belonging to a different individual. The top layer held skin lotion among other bottles, advertising that it contained cocoa butter and vitamin E, presumably belonging to Emerald. On the lower layers sat a razor and shaving supplies for Mercury, and surprisingly minimalistic items for Cinder.

Neo's variety of contact lenses sat (amusingly) on the bottom layer. They were in front of a small selection of hair dyes, toners, and cleansers. For her hair dyes, she only had one pink bottle, one black, and a smaller bottle white, at the forefront of the hair care products. It seemed that Neo knew exactly what she was doing with her hair colours, as if her regular pink, brown and white hair was not enough of a giveaway.

In terms of contact lenses, the colours on offer were numerous. Magenta, aqua, pink, brown, gold, grey, silver, and clear. Ruby hadn't even seen Neo use some of these, yet. They all displayed various numbers, such as strength, diameter, base curve, axis, and more.

These were all prescription lenses, suited for one Neopolitan Pistachio, according to the boxes. It seems her lenses were for more than aesthetics.

Ruby felt that she had gained some nice insight into the way Neo kept up her appearance. And, granted she didn't miss a bottle or lens box, she even learned Neo's real hair and eye colour, too.

Feeling that she may start to pry too much into the groups' belongings if she stayed too long, Ruby dried her face on a flannel. She put it back neatly on a rack and checked once more to ensure she left no bloodstains on anything, including her own clothes. Taking a deep breath, Ruby adjusted her red fabric belt and silver buckle, preparing herself for another night with Neo.

Ruby stepped out of the bathroom and into the dormitory.

It was much simpler than she envisioned, cramped yet bare at the same time. It had the same structure as Ruby's dormitory, with one main room containing the beds, a kitchenette on the far left, and the bathroom to the far right. The window was also in the same place, directly in the centre of the wall opposite the door, covered with a black curtain to shut out the cloudy night.

Within the dormitory's white walls, four beds had been laid out vertically, one to the left of the window, another to the right. The remaining two were lined against the opposing wall, the foot of each lining up with the foot of the first pair, the beds creating a zig-zag layout. There was little room to manoeuvre, and moving anywhere would involve clambering over at least one bed. However, Ruby had to admit that the layout was cosy, possibly reflecting how the four lived in the orphanage.

The white walls and dark crimson floor had next to no furnishings. Each bed had a small cabinet to its left, with possessions belonging to the respective owners. Hair clips on one, small, cheap earrings on another, basic items that gave no indication of Cinder's wealth. The only thing that gave such an idea was the wardrobe built into the wall, beside the kitchenette, open to show a series of expensive clothing. Ruby recognised Neo's white jacket and parasol, along with other clothes that would have been more suited for the other occupants. How peculiar that clothing was seemingly more important to them than any other kind of possessions.

Coat pegs were nailed to the wall, beside the door, and a dressing screen leaned underneath it, next to a radiator. Those were the only things of importance that Ruby could see, no paintings or pictures, no rugs, no book collections. Not even the white and teal themed kitchenette was heavily stocked, with only the necessities in food and simple snacks as far she could see. Presumably, they stored items like college work under their beds, but even so, she was taken aback by how barren the dormitory appeared. For some reason, she expected more extravagant luxuries.

The now black haired Neo sat calmly on the bed second from the right, closest to the closed window, on her knees. She had removed her shoes to sit, leaving them on the floor by the door. She wore short white socks, only leading up to her ankles.

Everything from her black hair to her white socks to her green eyes to her more revealing outfit went against everything Ruby had seen of Neo this past week. She appeared to be a completely different person; and that's what Ruby would have believed if not for the need to speak through their phones.

 _'_ _Come sit down._

 _'_ _Please don't bleed on me, though. Speaking from personal experience, blood is hard to remove from clothes.'_

Yes, that was definitely Neo.

So, she did see Ruby's small accident. At least she wasn't making a big deal out of it. Not too much, anyway.

 **'** **Blood? I don't know what you mean.'** Ruby tried to at least hide it, for all it was worth at this point. She dragged her left foot in an arc, nervous.

 _'_ _Let's pretend you were powdering your nose, then.'_

Ruby kicked off her shoes before she jumped on Neo's bed, tossing up the covers momentarily. Neo shifted to the pillow to make room for them, twintails swishing whenever she moved.

As Ruby faced Neo, legs crossed, she sneaked a glance at the nearby bed cabinet. It held nothing but eye drops to use with her contact lenses and a phone charger.

Neo kicked back on her soft bed, legs closed and angled to the side, hands planted on the pillow behind her. Ruby followed suit, lying on her side, feet dangling over the edge. They both fell into the comfort of lying on the blankets, which gave way to their bodies and let them sink in to the bed, with a small squeak of a spring.

 _'_ _Are you wearing two scarves?'_

Neo made a casual observation, eyeing Ruby's single scarf. Now that Ruby had taken some time to really and fully inspect Neo's appearance, it was natural that the shorter girl would do the same. It would be difficult to explain with words, so Ruby decided to show the scarf in its entirety instead.

Ruby untangled her scarf and held it in both hands at the centre. The reason for Neo's confusion was expected, as it was far longer than any single scarf should be. Both ends dangled in spools on the bed as Neo leaned forward.

In the centre of the scarf was distinctive stitching, where two scarves had been sewn together to become one. The right side of the scarf formerly belonged to Summer, the left side originally belonging to Ruby. They were joined by the messy cross stitching performed by Ruby, hardly a savant at sewing, but she was still able to put them together into one elongated neck piece.

Four emblems were emblazoned throughout it, one at each end of the two halves, the pair in the centre close together where they were stitched. From left to right, the emblems depicted a flower going through growth. It started with a single small seed, leading up to a stem with its petals beginning to sprout. On the right, the half that belonged to Summer, was a rose in full bloom, mainly showing the flower head. Finally, the last emblem portrayed nearly the same image as the last, but with the petals opened and seeds being spread in front of it.

 _'_ _It's pretty.'_

Neo could have made further comments. She could see that this scarf was special to Ruby. Even so, she merely leaned back and said nothing more.

Maybe she recognised Summer's half of the scarf.

 **'** **Thank you!'**

Ruby put it back around her neck as her key, a pack of playing cards, and a USB stick had fallen out. She quickly stuffed them back inside before she started a conversation again, trying not to be nervous in front of Neo.

 **'** **Where are the others?'**

Ruby noted the absence of Neo's group. She already knew that they were at the convention centre, but maybe Neo would accidentally spill some details.

 _'_ _Cinder will be here any second with the tickets, then she'll join Merc and Em at the convention centre to help with preparations._

 _'_ _It seems we're spending yet another night alone with each other. Oh, the humanity!'_ Neo cheerily grinned.

Ruby wondered how Neo felt about being the only one of the four not actively helping at the convention. She supposed that if Neo's help was urgently needed, the black haired girl would happily go to them at a moment's notice. For now, they still had an assignment to finish.

 **'** **At this rate, we might actually finish the assignment that was only supposed to take one night.'**

 _'_ _I know. Honestly, you're such a huge distraction.'_ The sarcasm was clear.

Ruby twisted her lips in a sulky expression, both girls aware that it was Neo's fault for kick-starting the tickling debacle. Neo twisted the ribbon at her chest, slyly smirking. She was just making fun of the situation.

Neo leaned forward, now sitting on her knees. She straightened and put her hands behind her back, giving a clear view of her clothing, and once more, Ruby did her best not to stare too much, lest she looked like a pervert. Ruby continued to smile as she nervously fidgeted, at least able to keep this part of her body consistent.

Neo silently giggled, seeing that Ruby had to look away. She retained her position while typing behind her back, not needing to look at her phone to send a message.

 _'_ _You're not a monk. You can look.'_

Ruby's smile turned into a small chuckle, and she rubbed her fingertips together, unsure of what to say. She stared at her phone while typing before managing to lay eyes on Neo again.

 **'** **Did I mention that you look cute?**

 **'** **Really, really cute?'**

Ruby had no idea what else she could possibly add. Her mind was blank, wanting to give a more original compliment, but lacking the acuity. It pleased Neo regardless.

 _'_ _Aw, thank you!_

 _'_ _So my time making it hasn't gone to waste.'_

It perhaps should not have come as a surprise that a Textile Design student was capable of creating these clothes, especially at a college equipped with a wide array of tools. The design was simplistic, but eye catching.

 **'** **What is it for?'** Ruby asked, assuming there was a reason for Neo to make the outfit.

 _'_ _It's my cosplay for tomorrow.'_ Neo beamed at her.

What a fascinating hobby, Ruby thought. This would provide for a good conversation to have at the convention tomorrow.

 **'** **Cosplay of what character?'**

 _'_ _A fan favorite character in Cinder's novels.'_

Ruby needed to read these books.

They spent a moment in inactivity. It would have been fitting to discuss the books in question, but they knew that Ruby had nothing to add to the matter.

Finding a way to continue the conversation, Neo moved forward, closing the short distance between them. She crumpled the blanket beneath her thin legs, bedsprings creaking underneath them, carrying her devilish smirk all the while. When Ruby realised that she was moving closer, she stopped still, wondering what was on Neo's mind.

When Neo stopped, there were only a few centimetres of distance between them. They were eye level, Ruby wide eyed in anticipation as they were close enough to feel the other's breathing. She knew that some kind of contact was about to take place.

 _'_ _I only made this cosplay for tomorrow…_

 _'_ _But I think I found another use for it.'_

Ruby was on track for a relapse at this rate.

 **'** **Which is?'**

Neo quickly jumped on Ruby, the bed creaking from the action.

Ruby gasped when she was forced to her back, Neo on top of her. Against the blanket, one of Ruby's hands was raised over her head, the other by her side. She initially tensed against the sudden shove, unsure of what was happening.

But Ruby relaxed instantly when she felt Neo's body. A pair of gloved hands pressed against her shoulders, forcing her further into the bed, as Neo, smiling, hung over her.

Ruby became aware that her short, grey shirt wrinkled at her waist in her movements, exposing a slip of her thin stomach, below her navel. She would try to cover it if it wasn't for the fact she was highly distracted.

Quickly, Neo dropped herself on top of Ruby, making the girl below let out an 'oomph.' One of her hands slipped away from Ruby's shoulders, travelling to a thin, undeveloped bicep, holding it through the long sleeve. Ruby could feel the warm contact all over her body. The weight of Neo was spread across her, chest to chest, waist to waist, leg to leg.

Ruby melted within three seconds, succumbing to her nerves. A distinctive tingling enveloped her heart, and she tried not to fall apart under Neo's intimate presence, to no avail. Instead, her breathing became unsteady in short, unmeasured giggles, and she fidgeted while lying under Neo, unsure of how to react.

Ruby then felt a soft contact on her stomach, and realised that their midriffs were touching, warm skin pressing together. Neo only noticed it at the same time, and decided to continue as though this was intended, though snuck a glance at how Ruby's shirt tended to disclose a minimum amount of skin without a pinafore to cover it.

It would be a different matter if Neo was dressed normally, but something about her cosplay drove Ruby's heart aflutter. It was probably just because of the skin that Neo displayed, or maybe Ruby really did like the faux-gothic Lolita look more than she realised.

Neo, keeping her suggestive grin, rested her head on the top of Ruby's chest. One of the black branches of delicate hair flickered on Ruby's neck, itching her skin. One gloved hand held Ruby's thin arm, the other typed on a pink phone.

 _'_ _I've been thinking about this assignment we need to do, and I really think my method was much better._

 _'You don't mind if we go back to the original art style, do you?_ _'_

Neo slightly glanced up at Ruby, lips pursed and bright green eyes wide like a deer. Ruby found it impossible to resist her.

"Yes! Abso-" Ruby gulped.

 **'** **Absolutely!'**

 _'_ _Aw, thanks!'_

Ruby had never expected to be on the receiving end of seduction. And, deep down, she hoped Neo would do more of it in the future.

Ruby had fallen into comfort with Neo leaning on her. And even though she gained what she wanted, Neo did not break away yet. With Neo's head still resting on her chest, they both spent a minute relaxed, rising and falling in their breathing. Neither were willing to end their intimate relaxation.

Ruby pondered if it was poor etiquette to try and put an arm around Neo. Just then, she felt her phone vibrate.

 _'_ _You really like me, don't you?'_

Neo looked up and winked.

 **'** **Curses, I made it too obvious.'**

Ruby decided to at least try and maintain confidence.

Ruby pursed her lips after her sarcasm, narrowed eyes on Neo.

 _'_ _I like you, too._

 _'_ _I'm glad this last week of us flirting and getting to know each other is actually going to go somewhere. I would have been disappointed if we ended up with a moderate friendship after all this.'_

 **'** **Me too.'**

Ruby's heart softened in glee. A calming and reassuring feeling spread through her chest.

Both girls were tranquil in their close presence, the rain pattering the window.

 _'_ _Can I ask you a personal question?'_

This time, Neo's head remained still, on Ruby's chest. She had trouble looking Ruby in the eyes when she initiated this conversation, inducing nervousness in the other girl.

 **'** **No problem.'** Ruby lay in wait.

 _'_ _What did you mean yesterday?'_

Ruby searched her memories, wondering what Neo was referring to.

 **'** **Yesterday when?'**

 _'_ _At the dinner hall._

 _'_ _I'm pretty sure you said something about trying to gain weight._

 _'_ _It just had me worried.'_

Ah, that. Ruby sighed, her breathing shaking strands of Neo's hair. These topics were bound to become more prevalent the more time that the two spent together.

 **'** **It's not serious.**

 **'** **I haven't eaten well for about a year, since me and Velvet split up.'**

The necessary pauses that emerged between their responses had a habit of making Ruby anxious, particularly in these situations. At least it let both girls think about their responses, instead of having to make snap verbal replies.

 _'_ _That sounds kind of serious to me.'_

 **'** **It's fine. I'm recovering.'** Ruby didn't realise that she was lying to both herself and Neo, in spite of what she thought.

 **'** **Everyone is making sure I eat when I should be.'**

Neo propped herself up on one hand, then shifted so that she and Ruby could see each other's faces. Neo smiled, with a tinge of sadness, as her twintails fell on Ruby's face.

 _'_ _I see. That's good._

 _'_ _Do you want me to help you, too?'_

She could never figure out why, but Ruby was always surprised when Neo was serious or kind. She just never expected it from the promiscuous girl. However, there was certainly a kind, caring soul underneath the many aesthetics she could adopt, one with her own concerns and fears.

 **'** **You don't have to do that. My sister has me covered.'**

 _'_ _Are you sure?'_

 _'_ _Because if I wear this, I'm pretty sure I can get you to do anything I want.'_

Ruby giggled as Neo suggestively grinned at her, a twinkle in her eye.

 **'** **That's a pretty convincing argument. Still, I'll be fine.**

 **'** **Thanks for worrying about me.'**

 _'_ _Alright. So long as you're happy, I'm happy.'_

Ruby stared into her phone, then at Neo, eyes meeting.

 **'** **I'm happy because you care.'**

Ruby was thankful that their conversation did not turn darker or more depressing than necessary. For a second, she almost forgot that Neo was conspicuously lying on her, their silent conversation distracting her from this fact.

The only noise in the room was the increasingly heavy rain against the window. It was starting to sound like a storm was coming, typical for the dismal English weather at this time of the year. As Ruby listened to its hypnotic clamour, her breathing steadied, and she merely felt Neo's warm weight against her body.

Seconds ticked by with Ruby staring up and into Neo, twintails itching at her cheeks. The jet black hair irritated Ruby's face, but she didn't try to brush it away.

 _'_ _Shall I?'_

Neo charmingly gazed at her. She knew that her hair was bristling Ruby's cheeks. It was probably her intention.

Ruby nodded, giving Neo permission.

Neo took off her gloves, leaving the black leather besides them. Her nails were still pink, clashing with her clothing. She had not bothered to repaint them since she would be wearing gloves with the outfit, anyway, though the paint was now slightly chipped and worn.

Neo stared back down, and raised a hand. She brought a finger to Ruby's cheek and gently pulled back her hair. As she did so, she lightly touched Ruby's skin, caressing the cheek and brushing it with the branch of hair in the same motion.

"You tease…" Ruby sighed with her smile, letting Neo touch her.

Neo must have understood Ruby's lips, because her smile broadened when she reached for the other cheek. She put a finger to the end of the second branch, and smoothly slid her finger back and forth, slyly and slowly stroking the soft skin, her hair ends brushing Ruby.

Ruby did not resist the irritating yet pleasant feeling, letting Neo's hair itch her from her cheek to her thin neck. The soft tingling sensation of the hair and Neo's finger sent delightful but unbearable fervour coursing through her body, and made her want to swat them away, but she endured it, enjoying the teasing challenge that was being posed to her.

Neo had pinched her branch between two fingers and started slowly dragging it over Ruby's delicate neck, making the taller girl fall victim to her own unstoppable chuckling. Ruby gradually curved her head to the left against her will, unable to stop the desire to try and get away, but in doing so, she exposed more of her neck. Neo made sure not to miss this opportunity.

The faint, pleasant agitation that enveloped Ruby's neck almost made her miss a new noise in the room.

Ruby couldn't identify it at first, occupied with her neck being enticed, but she replayed it over in her mind. It was the sound of rattling, more specifically, the rattling of a doorknob.

The itching of her neck stopped when Ruby's eyes widened, Neo seeing the reaction. Ruby tried to swat away the black hair, and Neo silently giggled, under the impression that she had driven the other girl into trying to fight back.

Ruby really hated being interrupted when the fun had barely begun. Neo was about to feel the same.

Ruby pointed towards the entrance, and at the same time, the door of the dormitory opened, pushing aside the black shoes Neo left behind. Neo was a black and white blur when she whipped around to look at wherever Ruby was pointing.

Cinder stepped through the doorframe, letting some heat escape. She was absentmindedly looking at a strip of paper in her hand, not aware that the dormitory had multiple occupiers.

She stopped in her tracks upon noticing the pair, Neo on top of Ruby, both looking at her like deer in the headlights.

"Well, well," Cinder chuckled, "This is an unexpected treat."

Cinder leaned with one hand on the door, the other holding the paper strip, greatly amused.

"Hi!" Ruby squeaked, scared that she was caught in this compromising situation. "Hi, hi again!"

Likewise, Neo displayed a panicked expression, still on top of Ruby and looking over her shoulder. However, unlike Ruby, she collected herself within a second.

Neo slung an arm around Ruby's shoulder as she turned her body, and lifted them both into a sitting position, their feet dangling over the bed. Ruby grunted, her muscles surprisingly stiff considering how relaxed she was under Neo.

Neo gleefully kicked her feet against the bed, as Ruby rubbed her hands together. She was amazed that Neo had already composed herself after being blatantly caught by Cinder.

"I expect that the more I walk in on you two, the closer I'll get to seeing you at fourth base. Please don't disappoint me." Cinder said and signed at the same time, with fairly uncertain gestures.

 _'_ _Oh, I won't.'_

Neo typed on her phone more for Cinder's sake than Ruby's, as the former was clearly unconfident in the language of signing. Immediate translations may prove difficult for her.

Cinder tapped the paper strip on her wrist. It was orange and yellow themed.

"I don't want to interrupt whatever it was you were doing, which I thought would be your assignment. But, alas, I'm not going to clam-jam two lovebirds, so I do believe I'll just drop off this ticket for you and be on my way." Cinder casually shrugged, eyes poised to the side with a smirk.

Ruby replayed the words in her mind. Something sounded incorrect.

"Ticket? As in, like, one, not two?" Ruby inquisitively asked.

 _'_ _You forgot to signify the plural in your gesture.'_ Neo noted the same thing at the same time.

Cinder took a deep breath, like she was preparing for trouble.

"No, I meant what I said. There's only one ticket left." After signing, she flapped the orange and yellow ticket in her hand.

"But how? Didn't you get tickets for all seven of us?" Ruby, confused, inquired to Cinder. Neo was typing the same question when Cinder signed at her.

"Correction. I arranged the tickets yesterday, and at that time, Weiss expressed her disinterest in attending. Therefore, I only obtained six tickets."

"Oh…" Ruby knew where this was headed.

"However, today, Weiss changed her mind." Cinder flipped with a head turn after bringing up Weiss. "And, unfortunately, it's too short of a notice for me to pick up another one in time for tomorrow. So, I just gave Weiss one of the six."

In other words, because of Weiss' silly decision to refuse to go to the convention yesterday, Cinder only gathered six tickets. Then Weiss wanted to go and was given a ticket anyway. It was a good thing that Ruby loved her friends with all her heart, or she would be mildly unamused right now.

"So, does that mean either me or Neo can't go tomorrow?" Ruby moaned.

"No, no," Cinder quickly refuted, "it just means you'll have to wait in line and pay for a ticket at the convention centre's entrance tomorrow."

Well, that didn't sound too bad, Ruby thought.

"Won't they be sold out on the day?" She thought about how popular conventions tended to be.

"Look, it's not Comic Con, I guarantee you will be able to get in. In short, one of us will be getting in later than the others."

Neo put a hand to her waist, biting her lip.

 _'_ _That's not fair!_

 _'_ _If Weiss is the cause of the inconvenience, then she should be the one to arrive late.'_

"Neo, I'm half-tempted to agree with you." Cinder leaned back on the door, breathing out and looking at the ceiling. "However, she and Emerald have hit upon a patch of amicability, and I'm trying to foster that seed of friendship, for all it's worth."

She had no qualms with saying this in front of Weiss' friend, Ruby noted. Did she really not care that she made Weiss almost cry earlier today?

"This way, Weiss will arrive with the majority of us, and she won't be put off by having to wait alone while everybody else is enjoying themselves. It may be manipulative of me, but I believe my heart is in the right place." Her gestures were as carefully measured as her words.

Ruby did her best to not resent Cinder for the attitude to her friend. After all, the writer was, despite all appearances, still trying to make Weiss bond with everybody else. If she truly hated Weiss, she would not be going through this trouble for her.

"Yeah, you're right." Ruby sighed. "It's better this way."

Cinder nodded, as though she never needed Ruby's validation.

"Of course it is." Cinder rolled her eyes. "However, the only issue is that it leaves you two in this small predicament. By the by, I received the tickets a couple of hours ago, and you two happened to be the last people I've encountered since."

Cinder dropped the ticket on the bed, paper flittering to a stop on the pillow. All eyes rested on the orange slip for a moment.

"It's fine. Thanks for providing for my friends." Ruby responded honestly.

"It's my pleasure. Rest easy knowing that they won't need to spend tomorrow morning in the freezing hail for an hour or two to spend twenty pounds to gain entry."

"Huh?"

 _'_ _?'_

Cinder was nonchalantly turning for the door after dropping this piece of information. Ruby and Neo, however, preferred her to elaborate on this particular point.

"Oh, I forgot to mention. A hailing thunderstorm was predicted for tomorrow. If you look outside, you can already see it beginning" Cinder yawned, stretching her back like she said nothing important. "And the booths that sell the tickets are built into the entrance, so you'll need to queue up outside the building."

"I see…" Ruby slowly nodded in understanding.

 _'_ _Good old English weather…'_ Neo acted in kind.

"I don't know how you two prefer to settle your disputes, but regardless, one of you will be very wet, cold, and possibly ill tomorrow morning."

Cinder stepped into the doorframe, finished with the conversation, as the pair stared at her.

"Don't worry. We know how to settle disputes." Ruby firmly established.

"Good. You two have fun."

Waving her farewell, Cinder closed the door.

There was a moment of silence, which would be normal for the pair if they were currently active in their movements. This particular silence was imposing, as they sat and wondered who would move first. They slowly turned to look at each other, smiling.

Needless to say, neither of them wanted to concede the ticket to the other, and that was before they knew the threat of standing in a thunderstorm.

Neo moved first.

She held Ruby by the arm, snuggling up to her.

Ruby came to a realisation. Overtly, they loved it when they had an excuse to play the greatest game of all; the game of innocuous flirting and teasing. And they were both very skilled players.

Ruby knew exactly what Neo was doing this time. While it was tempting to let Neo mount her again, Ruby knew better than to allow it. She decided to play to win this time.

Neo lay on her, head close to her neck. She typed on one hand.

 _'_ _You don't mind if I have that ticket, do you?_

 _'_ _I didn't think you would.'_

Ruby grinned. She was fully aware of how Neo would seduce her, having been manipulated once already.

 **'** **Actually, I really don't want to catch pneumonia for a second time this week.'**

Neo's hand stroked the back of Ruby's hair, caressing the back of her neck in the same motion. Ruby merely sat back, enjoying Neo's attempts to convince her, adoring the soft touches to her neck but not falling victim to them.

 _'_ _But could you live with yourself knowing that you forced a vulnerable, adorable girl like me to endure a howling bout of hail and rain?_

 _'_ _Just think of me shivering and freezing in that thunderstorm._

 _'_ _In these clothes._

 _'_ _Wet.'_

Actually, every fibre of Ruby's being wanted to give in and let Neo have her way with that thought. Still, she knew better.

Neo dragged Ruby down, trying to lay on top of her again. Just before landing on the bed, Ruby gripped Neo by the bare waist, and pulled her to the side so that they lay at the same level. Ruby lightly held her down by the waist with one hand while typing with the other.

 **'** **Ms Pistachio, you're trying to seduce me.'**

Neo suggestively gazed at Ruby. She moved her hand from the back of her theoretical victim's neck and to the front, just over the scarf. A finger fell underneath Ruby's chin, lightly grazing it back and forth.

 _'_ _What if I am?_

 _'_ _I can tease you with my hair again, if you want._

 _'_ _Or I can let you cuddle me all night long.'_

Ruby firmly shook her head, arms crossed. She could go without those things. After all, Ruby knew for a fact that whenever they were alone, they ended up teasing, flirting, holding, or touching, anyway. Hell, they would probably do one of those things by the end of tonight, Ruby thought.

Neo cutely twisted her lips at Ruby's reaction. She seemed annoyed, in disbelief that Ruby had not given in.

 _'_ _How is a hormone driven teenage lesbian possibly resisting me right now?'_

 **'** **Joke's on you, I'm only 90% driven by hormones!'** Ruby cheerfully recited the title of the autobiography she had planned.

Neo rose, removing Ruby's hand from her waist.

Neo crossed her arms as she kneeled to the side of Ruby, pouting. Her eyes travelled up and down over Ruby's body, starting at her black socks, up to her slightly exposed stomach, then back to her laughing face.

She was playfully annoyed while typing on her phone, tilting her head.

 _'_ _I guess the same trick can't work twice. I shouldn't have wasted it on the assignment.'_

Ruby continued laying down while responding, happy that she managed to fend off Neo this time.

 **'** **Too bad!**

 **'** **So are we going to have a fair discussion over who gets the ticket?'**

Ruby was about to rise, but Neo put a hand to her stomach and kept her down.

 _'_ _Nope._

 _'_ _If the past two nights have taught me anything, it's that there are other ways to break a cute girl.'_

Ruby was in the middle of typing **'** **meaning?'** when she felt it.

A string of laughter jumped out of Ruby's lips when fingers danced over her stomach.

"C-Come on, why, why isn't this over yet!?" Ruby hastily screamed out, not that Neo was paying attention to her lips.

Ruby tried to grab Neo's wrists before the damage was done, but she was too late. Small hands slipped onto her small stomach, underneath her shirt. It took no time at all for the process to begin.

Quickly, a set of fingers tickled her midriff, her soft skin easily ravaged by Neo's nails. Ruby yelped, feeling every stroke against her body, and tried to squirm away, swatting at Neo's hands as best she could. Unfortunately, the offending hands were under her shirt, and almost impossible to rid.

Neo was not teasing her or being merciful. She wanted Ruby to surrender now. Instead of drawing out the tickling slowly, she tickled ferociously, happiness on her face as she raked Ruby's stomach with both hands, but not hard enough to cause pain.

Ruby curled on her side, towards Neo, when a finger wriggled over and in her navel, forcing the continuation of her squealing laughter. She kicked a foot into the bed against her will as the finger prodded around in her bellybutton, like a switch that elicited a squeak when pressed, and she was forced to feel her thin, slender stomach easily yield to soft touches, so numerous across her body that she couldn't tell when the light motions began or ended.

Neo, kneeling, hovered over her, a pleasant smile on her lips, believing that she had every advantage. She leaned in slightly when Ruby turned the side, trying to curl to lessen the assault, as she had to keep her hands under the shirt. She hadn't pinned Ruby down yet.

So it shouldn't have come as much as a shock as it did when Ruby jolted forward and grabbed Neo by the leg, wrapping an arm around her thigh. Neo was taken by surprise, pausing for a moment, and was about to wrench away Ruby's arm when she was pulled. Her hands left Ruby when her leg was yanked.

Neo fell on her back, a leg in Ruby's grasp, a dire expression on her face and a determined expression on her opponent. She desperately tried to pull free, blanket razed, but Ruby's grip was too strong.

Ruby's fingertips dug into Neo's sock, tickling her foot through the fabric, and the receiver reacted at the faintest prickle. Ruby remembered exactly what Neo did to her feet two nights ago, and sought to return the favour.

"Let's see how you like it!" Ruby exclaimed, though Neo had thrown her head to the side and couldn't lip read at this time.

Neo's sock was thin and offered no resistance as Ruby wormed into the toes, preventing them from curling. She could only tickle with one hand as the other held the leg, but it was all she needed, needling the base of Neo's toes, making the small and vulnerable foot squirm in place.

At first, Neo tried not to laugh. She buried her face in the blanket when her cheeks turned red, her entire body fidgeting to jerk free her foot. Ruby wanted to correct this matter, and already had the means to do it.

Ruby's fingers moved from Neo's toes to the arch, a more sensitive area if personal experience would have her believe. She ghosted her nails through the sock, applying slight pressure to the pliable skin, forcing Neo to endure the sensitive anguish as she once did to Ruby.

"Ah…" Neo gasped, reacting more audibly to the touches on her arch. Her mouth tightened into a curved line when she felt several fingers running back and forth over her foot, enticing her into laughter by means of her skin being faintly teased.

She folded. Ruby was pleased to hear it.

Neo's distinct laughter burst out in a tumble, dry and resonating deeply. It started as a loud, elongated croak, while she threw the blanket at Ruby out of distress. It became a series of uncontrolled and hoarse chortles immediately after, like Neo was trying to hit a high note, but couldn't do so, resulting in sharp and low gasps.

Neo's laughter suddenly ended, and Ruby looked at her to ascertain why when a black blur jumped forward. She panicked and let go of Neo's leg, eyes wide.

Ruby was tackled over the length of the bed, rolling on her side twice and with an arm hanging over the messy blankets. She tried to reel on her back, but a weight landed across her legs and back, keeping her pinned into the bed. Neo lay over her, but Ruby couldn't see in what kind of position.

Perpetuating the cycle of vengeance, Neo ripped off one of Ruby's socks within the blink of an eye, throwing the black textile somewhere on the bed. She was far less kind with Ruby's foot than two nights ago, wasting no time in her interrogation. Ruby felt the breeze against her right foot before a set of fingers.

"No, ah-" Ruby inhaled.

Ruby squealed and curled her foot when Neo scratched it with sharp nails, unsympathetic to her distress. Her bare sole twisted in place while she giggled, unable to prevent any sensation that arose from her skin being tickled, the arch easily being pushed in and clawed by fingertips. It was just as unbearable as last time, Ruby bundling the blanket as she thrashed on the bed.

A sudden spike of desperation let Ruby whip around, face up, throwing off Neo. The girl in black fell on her side, nearly off the bed, and dug her hands into the blanket to stay upright. She tried to jump on Ruby again, much too slow.

Ruby caught Neo's wrists mid-leap, stopping her attack, and threw her to the side. As Neo landed on her back, Ruby pounced on her, hands on her elegant shoulders, trying to clasp her on the bed. Ruby was marginally stronger, for all it was worth, and held down Neo's struggling body, about to slip her fingers into the underarms.

Before she could tickle Neo, the girl underneath her kicked out with her legs, pushing them apart. Ruby moved forward to stay on top, but Neo was ready this time, slipping to the side, grabbing her by the waist and pushing her aside. She followed Ruby's fall, trying as hard as she could to regain her offence.

Feeling Neo's hands on her bare waist and panicking, Ruby grabbed the other girl's thin arms and pried them away, then shot forward. Their legs entwined in their struggle, knees hooked around one another no matter how they moved.

They both tumbled together across the bed in a heap, black and white on red and grey. They tried to wrap their arms around each other in a contest of dominance, Ruby's scarf tangled between them, the blankets slipped from the bed, and squeaking springs could be heard as the rolled together from one end of the bed to the other, then back again, lying over a pillow.

Their struggle ended when Ruby accidentally turned Neo around, facing her back. Before Neo could whip around, Ruby slipped both arms under her scrawny biceps, vertically, and pulled them back, restraining the struggling opponent.

Ruby sat upright, legs spread and Neo sitting between them, unable to escape. Neo thrashed against Ruby's hold, but her arms met confinement. She kicked out with her legs, futilely, brushing against Ruby's feet, with a frantic expression etched on her face.

A few seconds were taken by Ruby to catch her breath, tired from the fight, but soon after, she attacked her helpless captive. She crossed her right arm over Neo's chest, under both arms, and placed her left over the exposed midriff.

"Ack!" Neo's unique chortle started instantaneously.

Neo's skin was soft as silk under Ruby's fingertips, and forced out laughter as soon as the contact was made. When she tickled Neo's stomach, Ruby was almost thrown forward from the reaction, the girl in black suddenly and fiercely lurching to get away. Ruby's grip tightened around Neo's underarms, holding her still and keeping her arms at bay.

Neo's exotic laugh broke free with every touch, vulnerable, defenceless and powerless to resist. Ruby forced her to endure the pleasant and irritating sensations over her bare midriff, making her regret wearing the cosplay outfit, and driving her into the act of surrendering. After a few seconds, Ruby moved her hand up and started swiping her fingers over Neo's navel, slightly under the black blouse.

Ruby tried not to enjoy touching Neo's bare skin too much. Then she gave up in her mind and admitted that tickling the cosplayer was far more fun than anything that was suggested earlier, and not just because it gave an excuse to dance her hands over Neo's soft, small and warm body, though it was certainly a majority holder. Thinking about their shared laughter via physical contact tonight filled Ruby with a sizzling glee. Maybe she shouldn't admit this to Neo, whom she had accused of something of this nature two nights ago.

Ruby had not stopped for two minutes while she thought, and was writhing a finger constantly on Neo's bellybutton. Laughter became faint gasps, and wrestling became feeble pulling. Ruby had to chuckle to herself, amazed that Neo still had not surrendered. It was almost too bad to Ruby that this fun would soon be ending-

Ruby stopped with a thought of 'Oh, crap.' She stopped tickling Neo's stomach, and took her hand out from under the blouse.

They had dropped their phones as soon as the fight started, so Neo couldn't talk. And she had kept Neo in place the entire time she tickled her, so they couldn't reach for their respective gadgets. For all she knew, Neo could have wanted to concede long ago.

Hoping that Neo wouldn't be angry, Ruby released her arms, and reached for their phones. She put Neo's in her lap.

They didn't talk for a minute, breathing heavily from the struggle, Neo more so. They took their time in unwinding, Ruby hearing the sounds of their rapid panting. Neo was sitting straight with their bodies separated by mere inches, still between Ruby's legs, but was unable to move as both grey sleeved arms were still around her stomach.

Erring on the side of caution, Ruby kept Neo close, but it seemed their conflict was over. Neo had no desire to counterattack, and instead reached for her phone, typing speed at a crawl.

 _'_ _You win.'_

Neo limply fell back into Ruby, unable to move. With a pair of arms around her body, she did nothing but control her panting. Her head fell on Ruby's chest, partially on her shoulder.

Now that their tussle reached an end, Ruby took this moment to calm her own breathing. Even with Neo sitting between her legs, tired and lethargic in her arms and collapsed against her body, Ruby was able to stay composed. She untangled her scarf and threw it back over her shoulders.

In their silence, Ruby noted that Neo lost her usual enthusiasm while typing. Of course, this could be entirely due to a lack of energy, but Ruby needed to make sure she didn't do wrong by making Neo laugh so much. It was apparent that the smaller girl went out of her way to hide it, and their fight went rather far against this effort.

 **'** **You laughed a lot back there.'** Ruby hesitantly stated.

 _'_ _I know. I could feel it in my throat._

 _'_ _You really don't mind hearing it?'_

As she leaned forward, Ruby could have sworn that she saw some apprehension in the corner of Neo's eyes. Ruby would be happy to dispel it.

 **'** **Of course I don't!**

 **'** **You can be open with me.'** Ruby gave her a heartening smile, which Neo saw with a tilt of her head.

 _'_ _Thank you.'_ Neo smiled back.

 _'_ _I'm glad you're not trying to say I should correct it or something.'_

Neo virtually acted as though they did not discuss it, spinning her phone on a finger. There was very little conversation to that topic, Ruby knew, but she was glad they had it. She wanted Neo to be comfortable around her.

A small part of Ruby felt sorry for Neo, who clearly felt self-conscious about something she had no control over in her lifelong deafness, judged by others for having a different laugh. Her final sentence was specific, likely something she had experienced before by somebody less understanding and considerate. The last thing she probably wanted was pity, but Ruby couldn't help giving sympathy nonetheless.

Neo put her hands on her leg, but still sat drooping on Ruby. They both bore battle damage, Ruby with her shirt dishevelled over her exposed stomach and her right foot without a sock, Neo with messy strands of hair.

 _'_ _You can have the ticket._

 _'_ _Bully.'_

Ruby mockingly scoffed, which would have been more effective if Neo faced her. However, the bully comment may have come from believing that Ruby was keeping her away from their phones. Neo was not truly annoyed, thankfully.

 **'** **Thank you very much!**

 **'** **You were a worthy competitor.'**

Ruby reached forward, tilting Neo forward like a soft doll, and grabbed the ticket. She made sure to flutter it in front of Neo, purely to rub the victory in her face in a childish yet satisfying display.

Neo tried to snatch the ticket, but Ruby lifted it above their heads, an inch out of her grasp. A pout etched itself on Neo's face, unable to steal the ticket. Even if she succeeded, she couldn't escape Ruby's hold, anyway.

 _'_ _Now who's a tease?'_

 _'_ _Tomorrow's a special day for me, and you're making me wait in line in the cold to buy a ticket? The cheek!'_

Ruby put her chin on Neo's small shoulder, blowing at a branch of hair. It flew forward in front of their faces before resting on Neo's chest.

 **'** **Aw, I'm sorry.'**

Neo cocked her head to the side, so that she could see Ruby's face in the corner of her eye.

 _'_ _It's fine. I'll take my revenge at an unspecified date in the future.'_ Neo glanced at her with a disturbingly sweet smile.

This scared Ruby more than it should have.

It might have been the pouring rain outside reminding Ruby of tomorrow's weather forecast, but she started to well up with some genuine guilt. Even if Neo masked it behind her cheery demeanour, it was likely that she felt some level of annoyance about this situation. She was right in that tomorrow was a special day for her, in an unknown way. This convention had been brought up every day for the prior three days.

Of all the people who should arrive at that convention with their friends, it may as well be the four people for whom it held a place in their hearts.

Ruby had her fun, and now was the time to be a lady, she supposed. On the surface, it may have seemed like she wasted her time in fighting for the ticket, but in truth, it was impossible to waste time in any way as long as it was spent with a friend. Every second gone by was a second getting closer to one another. And she loved every second of tonight.

With that in mind, Ruby put the ticket on Neo's leg.

 **'** **You can have it.'**

Neo put her hand on the ticket, looking back at Ruby, confused. Her green eyes were larger than usual.

 _'_ _Why? It's yours fair and square.'_

 **'** **You want it more than me. I can wait in line tomorrow.'**

 _'_ _You don't have to do that._

 _'_ _If you're doing this because you're scared of that revenge thing, ask Emerald for details. A few days after she beat me in a tickle fight, I tied her to her bed one morning for three hours and exacted payback._

 _'_ _Emerald triggers to feather dusters now.'_

Ruby gulped. All she could do is hope that this never came to fruition. And if giving the ticket didn't prevent this fate, then at least she had interesting morning coming in the near future.

 **'** **It's not that.'**

 **'** **I have less of a reason to want it than you, under the circumstances. If it's going to be a special day for you and your friends, you should get to be with them all day.'**

Ruby wrapped her arms around Neo's shoulder in reassurance. She didn't want to argue this point.

 _'_ _You're too nice of a person to change your mind, I know.'_

Neo's branches rested over Ruby's wrists as they were in thought. She gently smiled with Ruby's arms around her shoulders. As usual, she enjoyed most physical contact with the almost equally petite girl.

Ruby did not respond, under the impression that Neo accepted the tickets. However, Neo continued to type.

 _'_ _Let's compromise.'_

Frankly, Ruby wasn't sure what kind of compromise could even be reached in a matter so simple.

 **'** **How?'**

Neo's thumbs loudly tapped her phone.

 _'_ _You take the ticket, but you wait with me in the queue tomorrow.'_

Typically, if one had a ticket in advance, they could enter as soon as the doors opened without queueing. Neo wanted her to forego this process.

 **'** **That sounds fine. So instead of one of us suffering, we both suffer!'**

Ruby had no problems with this. Neither girl would be alone in the morning, this way.

 _'_ _Correct! I look forward to enjoying the excruciating cold with you!_

 _'_ _As usual, pain is fun as long as it's shared!'_

Ruby was almost starting to get used to Neo's jokes.

Neo smiled at her, letting the conversation drop. They no longer had to talk about the ticket with the compromise reached.

The heavy rain acted as an imposing threat of tomorrow's events. Both girls would be standing in the constant spray of water, surrounded by a sizable amount of people and hoping that they wouldn't freeze to death. Ruby hoped Neo had a waterproof coat to wear over her cosplay.

 _'_ _That's a consideration for tomorrow, though. For now, let me type a sentence I never thought I would type._

 _'_ _Ruby, can we stop running our hands over each other's bodies?_

 _'_ _You've tired me out two nights in a row, and while it was both fun and agonising, I think a short break is in order.'_

It was fair, Ruby thought.

 **'** **Do you regret starting the tickling war?'**

 _'_ _Hell no. I had fun.'_

So, Ruby wasn't alone in that notion.

Neo shifted in Ruby's arms. She wanted to move position.

Ruby let go of her, and the cosplayer crawled to the other end of the bed before turning around. Silently yawning, Neo leaned into a curled position, her body resembling a question mark shape, with her back curved towards the end of the bed, and her feet laying towards the centre, directly parallel to Ruby's own.

Ruby abandoned her sitting posture, and adopted an angle similar to Neo, leaning against the pillow. With their feet so close, it would have been easy to play footsie, but at this point, they would agree that enough games had been played tonight. Even by their standards and stamina, they wanted to stop. She then realised that her right foot was still bare from their fight. Neo kicked a foot forward, and a small black ball tumbled by Ruby. Nodding her thanks, Ruby wore the sock again.

In the calming aftermath of their struggle, Ruby thought about the entire night. Needless to say, she was not going to forget tonight for a while. The image and feeling of Neo clambering over her kept surfacing in her mind and body.

 **'** **I just have to ask.'**

 **'** **How much further would you have gone back there?'**

Ruby was referring to how Neo tried to obtain the ticket, offering a night long cuddle or some teasing.

Neo cocked her head. She started tugging at the ribbons holding her twintails with one hand in thought as she typed.

 _'_ _Probably not very far._

 _'_ _You know I'm not really going to do anything super explicit, right? More explicit than usual, I mean.'_

In truth, Ruby was relieved to read this. In spite of their typical actions, she liked to know that they would have a semblance of steadiness to their relationship, one not based entirely on promiscuity. Besides, she knew that anything more than flirting would be downright bizarre at this stage. Anything they did, they did for fun, and she was reassured that Neo understood this, too.

 **'** **I'm glad. It would get weird.'**

Neo casually nodded, like the point was clear.

After pulling at her white ribbons, Neo was able to set her hair loose. The white strings came apart in her hands, and she shook her head, letting the black tangles come free. Her head was a black blur until she stopped, her hair resting over her shoulders and back in an atypical mess. The tips of her hair curled slightly, poking at the front of her shoulders.

Neo took her phone up once again.

 _'_ _Of course, I will declare that I love to play games with you!_

 _'_ _A lot.'_

Ruby happened to like the fact that they always referred to such moments as games. They were just simple pastimes, where both girls willingly let themselves be entertainment for the other without serious overtones. Ruby personally loved that willingness.

 **'** **Me too.'**

She could tell just how much Neo enjoyed her company, and she loved Neo's in turn. Neo even laughed freely tonight, and much more quickly than last night.

Over the hectic past few days, Ruby had forgotten that the only reason they were in this situation was because Neo was terrified about the assignment.

 **'** **Do you feel better about the work now?'**

 _'_ _I do. Thank you for doing it with me.'_ Neo's text came through with a bout of genuine gratitude.

Ruby could hardly complain about the time she spent with Neo. For once in her life, Ruby hoped that she would have more joined work, purely so she had an excuse to lay waste to nights again with her new crush. Plus, the idea that she was able to help Neo gave rise to relief in her heart.

 **'** **No problem. Let's finish off the annotations.'**

 _'_ _It's under the bed.'_

Neo's simple text made Ruby spring to action.

She tipped her body over the edge of the bed, looking under it. Her hair tips and scarf touched the carpet as her silver eyes scanned the space underneath the bed. There were very few items as far as she could tell.

Ruby's hand brushed a tablet device, probably the most expensive thing Neo owned, as she reached for a pink folder. She could feel her shirt slip from her body, affected by gravity, giving Neo a small display of her bare back, but she didn't mind at all.

While Ruby hung over the bed like this, she fully expected Neo to pounce on her or tease her in some way, particularly with her lower back showing, but to her surprise, Neo still lay in place when she rose. Ruby put the folder on the bed, between them, and opened it, pulling out papers.

It seems the thunderstorm had begun in preparation for tomorrow, having gained increasing ferocity all night. A flash of light could be seen through the curtains, and one second after, its noise followed. The cacophony put Ruby on edge for a split second, not paying attention when it struck.

Neo had been strangely silent and inactive while Ruby sorted the sheets. She appeared to be in thought.

After a moment, Neo put her head back, looking at the ceiling with an unreadable smile. This was the first time that Ruby was unable to identify an emotion on a smile, something that should represent cheeriness and joy.

Neo typed without looking at her phone. Ruby waited for the message to arrive, a few seconds passing after Neo pressed send.

Another flash of thunder and its booming clap struck as Ruby's phone vibrated.

 _'_ _Tomorrow, our lives will really begin._

 _'_ _And others will start to come to an end._

 _'_ _You can't comprehend how excited I am.'_

Ruby blankly stared at the message.

She looked up at Neo, who had not moved. She seemed detached, in her own world, and Ruby wasn't sure of where it came from. This was not a statement one casually typed to a friend without further elaboration.

More than ever, Ruby became aware of the rain, but even with the crackling sounds against the window, the room felt silent.

 _'_ _Get ready to see where the labors and pains of our lives are leading._

 _'_ _I hope you're looking forward to it.'_

Ruby knew when Neo was joking around, making amused comments on pain and such, and the smaller girl always held a jovial attitude no matter what outlandish statements she made. However, she could feel a different kind of joy emanating from Neo. What she just expressed was a brutal, disturbed, kind of happiness.

It made a shiver run through Ruby's spine, wrenching air from her lungs. She ignored it.

 **'** **?'**

In response, Neo giggled, an almost imperceptible noise escaping her throat. She turned over, facing Ruby but still lying, her feet over the edge of the bed.

 _'_ _I'm just being cryptic.'_

When Ruby looked back at Neo after reading the text, Neo's strange detachment to reality ceased.

Neo's beautiful emerald eyes set upon Ruby once more, smiling a relaxed smile once more, back to her own reality once more.

And Ruby wanted her to stay that way.

 **'** **That was almost creepy, you know.'**

Neo put a hand to her chest, against her black blouse, feigning harm.

 _'_ _Me? Creepy? Since when?'_

Ruby was able to relax after reading the text. A small chuckle slipped out of her mouth.

With the lively aura returned to them, Ruby and Neo used the night to finish the work and engage in typical, friendly banter.

* * *

A/N- Now would be a good time to mention that at some point in the future, this will be bumped up to an M rating. Of course, this will be quite some ways away, so let us hope that we don't all die of old age by then. In the meantime, I'll try and improve my pronoun game, attempt to break 100K total words with the next chapter, and figure out which fetish to appeal to next.


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